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 Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2005 8:34 pm
Unlike the other two worlds, this world is set in a not-so-fantasy setting. Think Europe in the 13th-16th centuries. :3
The basic story: This story is mainly about a princess that chooses to take her ailing twin brother's place on the throne in order to protect his ultimate wish of freedom.
Before they were born, Katherine and Katze had an older brother. A tragic accident outside the castle killed the young prince. Traumatized by the death of her first born son, the queen's sanity deteriorated and she developed an unusual protective "nature" after the birth of the twins. They were not allowed outside the castle grounds and as they grew older, the walls of the gates surrounding the castle "seemed" to "grow" as well.
To make matters worse, Katze was born with a very weak heart. He could not participate in a lot of physical activities without tiring himself quickly or having chest pains. The twins' main companions were each other and several of the maids/servants of the castle. However, the king was not a very popular one amongst his "peers." Because of this, there were only a small amount of maids and servants that lived in the castle.
Having to live in such "imprisoned" life, Katze longed for freedom more than anything else. His only real friends were his twin sister and the stable boy, Raphael, that they grew up with. Over the years, Katze and Raphael fell in love and it's believed that Raphael "fueled" Katze's desire for freedom even more. So, they ran away together.
In doing this, Katherine had to resume her brother's identity, taking his place in the military school that every noble bloodline had to go through (and pass) before taking over family obligations. Only her father and the best friend (that she'd meet in the school) knew of her real identity. The queen grew mad. In the military school, that's when Katherine discovered her own freedom--something that she never really thought about. She'd also find more life experiences and events she'd never thought she'd experience.
Here are several excerpts from the princess' diary before she resumed her brother's identity. 'Alone' I can't believe he's gone. My one and only true companion in this wretched prison... He's gone. Kat's gone. My heart still hurts from seeing that carriage riding away from here. At first I was so angry. Furious beyond belief at his decision to run away... with the stable boy, for God's sakes! He's of a noble bloodline! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw him packing... I couldn't believe my ears when I heard his wish to leave this place... Doesn't he realize that by leaving, he'll be running away from his own past?! From mother...? ... Father...? ... Me...? What does that stupid stable boy know of taking care of him...? What does he know about making sure that his weak heart doesn't grow even weaker?! And what does he know about making anyone happy, especially Kat?? These questions ran through my mind, which was accompanied by anger... disappointment... and even sadness... But I knew that Kat wasn't happy here... I've always known that... All it took for me to realize the reason behind his decision... was that look upon his face... Even at the merest mention of the stable boy's name... at the thought of leaving this place... a warm smile appeared on his face... I had forgotten of the last time he'd smile like that... While we were both lonely... I realized that Kat must have felt tired of being cooped in this place... of mother's over-protectiveness because of her tremendous fear of losing him the way we lost our oldest brother. I don't think Kat knows this... I made sure of it. He might have not understand the reasons behind our... "imprisonment" but I made sure that he wouldn't feel guilty... or obligated... I had to protect him... I read the note he left behind for father and mother... apologizing for the disappointments and sadess he knew he would cause by leaving... They would be crushed if they were to find out... I can't bear at the thought of seeing mother crying again... I don't know what to do... God, help us... 'I am Katherine' Mother has fallen ill. She has lost her mind. I woke up this morning because of a piercing and heart breaking scream that rang throughout the castle. She read the note Kat left... The same note I thought I had tucked away inside this journal. I must've fallen asleep writing last night... when I woke up... my journal was opened... My carelessness and stupidity caused this. She must've found it after she came into his room to give him his morning medicine... I wonder if she knew that all of his medicines are gone... When she came to, my heart was relieved... especially when I saw that smile on her face... But something was odd... She squeezed my hand and smiled at me... "Kat, you're here..." It was a mistake. The woman's convinced that I am my dear brother. I soon realized that if I tried to convince her otherwise, things would be worst... I can't bear to see mother crying again... Father is crushed... He didn't know what to do either... and had asked me to pretend to be my brother... "At least until your mother is healthy again," he said. I don't think he realized what he's asking of me. Perhaps his own heartache took a better hold on him... Perhaps he, too, is going mad... However... As much as it saddens me, I would do anything to make them both happy. From now on... I am Katherine... ... no more.
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Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2005 2:15 pm
KATHERINE AS KATZE
[KAT]  Background: Please, read the 1st post for a better understanding before reading this. She's the main character of the story, which is the princess. In this identity, she's already disguised herself as her brother's replacement. It's been at least 2 years since she's lived in the academy. In this 6 years course, she had to master academics and sports. Her favorite subjects included archery and any study of the human mind.
Personality: In a way, she's like a child when she first arrived in the military school. She's not anti-social. Because she's hiding her true identity, she might have seem a bit quiet and anti-social at first. She adapts very quickly to her environment. Because she was cooped up for so long, her new-found-freedom is almost overwhelming at first. So, she's pretty adventurous and curious--always wanting to try out and finding out about things that she'd never seen outside the castle. She's also a very quick learner.
Physical Description: In this identity, her long and wavy crimson hair was cut very short (one of the requirements for the military school). Her almost pale skin from living in the castle turned dark and tanned after staying in the school for about 2 years. Her eyes are golden yellow, like her brother's.
There're no strict uniform for the school, as long as it's white/brown combination. (that's why Oni, her best friend, doesn't have the same uniform as her). For her uniform, she wears a long sleeved and loose white top. It's thin enough to endure the heat of the sun and the hard training, but still very durable. She also binds her chest to cover up. (That's why the "loose" shirt helps with the cover up her chest). Besides the white top, she wears golden laurel; fingerless black gloves; her grandfather's golden pocket watch; a brown pair of pants; and dark brown boots.
She practices archery often, so, I may request artists to draw her with her arch and bows 3nodding Also, on her neck, she keeps the matching golden pendant as her brother's that was given to them by their mother. The design reference of the pendant is kind of like this, except it's supposed to be rather small (about less than 2 inches in length) and the pearl should be smaller as well.
References: [Avatar reference] [x] [x] [x] [x] [with her best friend, Oni]
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Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2005 2:16 pm
PRINCESS KATHERINE  Background: Please, read the 1st post for a better understanding before reading this. Katherine is the main character of this story. This is her true identity (obviously, before her twin brother ran away).
Personality: Ever since before she assumed her brother's identity, Katherine had always been a curious child. Because of her "imprisonment" in her own home, both she and her brother love to read anything they'd lay their eyes upon (e.g. books, journals, letters, etc.). Because she's the healthier one of the twin, she's a bit more cheery and outgoing. She's almost always so concerned about her twin. Unlike Katze, as much as she longed to be free, to her, as long as they're together (so naive, I know), she thought she'd be fine. She's not cynical, really. ^^; Between the two, when they were children, she's the one that'd make more "troubles" around the castle, especially, when playing with her brother.
Physical Description: In this identity, her skin is lighter than in the other identity. Her skin tone here is almost as light as Prince Katze's pale tone. Like her brother, her eyes are golden yellow. She'd appear to be at the age of 17 years old.
Because of the time period, I'd like the style to be about medieval type of dress, :3 It doesn't have to be, but try to stick or stay close to it as much as possible. Some suggestions on the dress: [Formal gown -- either in crimson/navy blue/black] [Casual, everyday type of clothes -- I really like this design a lot]. However, the artists can always improvise.
Her hair is long and wavy, like in this style (the one that's all the way to the right). For the normal and everyday type of outfit, I'd like for her to wear the type of hair piece in that same picture all the way to the right, please. I also have a crown decided for her. If you see it fit, please, use this crown as reference. Even if she's wearing formal clothing, she doesn't have to be wearing the crown if you think she looks better without it :3
She wears a matching golden pendant as her brother in. The design reference of the pendant is kind of like this, except it's supposed to be rather small (about less than 2 inches in length) and the pearl should be smaller as well.
References: [In Casual Outfit - monotone] [Casual Outfit + Perfect Reference -- waist up] [Casual Outfit + Perfect Reference -- fullbody] [Royal Outfit] [with twin brother, Prince Katze -- casual outfits] [with twin again, casual] [with twin, casual] [with twin, casual] [with twin, casual]
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Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2005 2:18 pm
KATZE
[COMMONER]  Background: Please, read the 1st post for a better understanding before reading this. Katze is the weaker of the identical twins. Physically, he has a heart condition that limits his physical activities. Ever since he could remember "thinking," he'd always wanted to be free and wanted nothing to do with any royal type of life. This "identity" happened after he ran away with the stable boy, Raphael. Although both he and Raphael lived in such a life, where he didn't receive any royal treatments, he didn't mind it. He was finally happy. The only thing he wished for 'now' was to share the new-found freedom with his sister.
Personality: In this identity, Kat is less depressed. He'd smile more often. Although he's shy and often times keep to himself, like his sister, he's also very curious, especially, when he was first exposed to life outside the castle. He's still pretty insecure about himself, but he saw that he's happier. Family was important to him, but he saw that his own family (parents, especially) was slowly smothering him. One day, he'd like to have a family of his own--and when he does, he planned on not smothering them like his mother did.
Physical Description: Unlike Katherine's naturally wavy hair, Katze's hair is straight. In this identity, his hair is very long (reaching down to the middle of his back). Because his hair was almost always kept at shoulder length at most back in the castle, he found simple pleasures like "doing whatever he wanted to at his own time" to be very pleasing. His eyes are golden yellow, like Katherine's.
Also, compared to his sister, his skin is still pale (even if he does spend more time outside 'now'). He looks very fragile and feminine. His choice of clothing is also pretty simple because he doesn't wish to "stand out." This simplicity includes (But not limited to) white long sleeved top with vest and matching bottom. Think "commoner" in middleage type of clothing. The only thing "royal" about his clothing is the matching golden pendant as his sister's. The design reference of the pendant is kind of like this, except it's supposed to be rather small (about less than 2 inches in length) and the pearl should be smaller as well XD. He only wears them when it's special occassions, however :3.
References: [Avatar Reference -- but is often altered] [Perfect Portrait] [with Raphael -- SHOUNEN AI WARNING!] [with Raphael again -- SHOUNEN AI WARNING!]
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Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2005 2:19 pm
PRINCE KATZE  Background: Please, read the 1st post for a better understanding before reading this. The weaker of the twins, Prince Katze's been harboring his feelings to himself. He doesn't really understand why his parents are too overprotective over them. In fact, he sees his home as a prison that he wished to get away from. Little did he realize that his "dream" was coming true upon his first meeting with the stableboy, Raphael.
Personality: He's young and almost innocent looking. As a child, he's always been a quiet child (unlike his sister) and would "seem" as if he's obedient all the time, when in fact, he's the one that's a bit more cynical than the two. He doesn't smile too often around people--even around his parents. The only times one would "see" his smile was whenever he's with Katherine or Raphael.
I find that this picture I found from a "The Prince and The Pauper" ballet to be fitting to the kind of "innocent" look I want for Katze to have.
Physical Description: He looks about the age 16-17 in this identity. He still has the physical descriptions in his other identity (pale skin, golden yellow eyes, and somewhat feminine looking). The only difference is that his straight crimson hair would almost always be kept at shoulder length at this point. He'd either tie it back or let it loose.
As for his outfits, they don't have to look exactly like these and the artist can definitely improvise. These are just some ideas of what I'd like the type of clothes he'd be wearing at this point. For the top: [More formal type -- Either in Dark red/brown/navy blue] [Another formal one -- If you use this reference, please, keep this color] [A bit more casual] [Another casual type]. For the bottom, he can wear black or a matching/complimentary color to the top.
He also wears a crown from time to time. I'd like it to look similar to this, please. Again, the artist may improvise ^^. Please, make sure that this crown is NOT covering the whole top part of the head lol. I'd like it to be in small or medium size :3 Please, put the crown on him if he's in his royal outfit! If not, then there's no need for the crown ^_^
He has a matching golden pendant as his sister. The design reference of the pendant is kind of like this, except it's supposed to be rather small (about less than 2 inches in length) and the pearl should be smaller as well.
References: [Portrait -- Royal Outfit] [Royal Outfit -- monotone] [with twin sister, Princess Katherine -- casual outfits on both] [with twin again, casual] [with twin, casual] [with twin, casual] [with twin, casual]
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Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2005 2:21 pm
RAPHAEL  Background: Please, read the 1st post for a better understanding before reading this. Raphael is the stableboy that works in Katherine and Katze's royal castle. His father's one of the workers there. One day, he brought the (then) 13 year old Raphael to the castle. He met the twins for the first time (in which little 7 year old Katherine almost killed Katze by convincing the young boy to go riding with her on an untamed and extremely picky stallion). Both of the twins fell off the panicked horse and were about to be stepped on by one of its strong hoofs, before Raphael's father saved them. Raphael comforted the twins. They found his gentle nature to be very welcoming and they were so happy to have their "first friend" (besides each other).
Along their 11 year friendship, Katze and Raphael fell in love (Katherine hated to admit it and would always "interrupt" their "alone" time constantly). Katze had always admired Raphael because even though he was of the lower-class bloodline, he saw that Raphael was free--unlike him. Eventually, Katze revealed his wish and plan to escape from the castle. Raphael, though knowing that he'd be betraying Katherine, he couldn't stand seeing Katze unhappy. So, he agreed to help Katze run away together with him.
Personality: The stable boy is very kind and would always smile. His warm smile is what attracted both of the twins to him. He's strong and pretty much very carefree about his troubles. When he loves, he loves deeply, and would do almost anything for the one he loves.
Physical Description: Raphael is 6 years older than the twins. He is tall and tanned, with a mid length (that reached a little below his shoulders) wavy black hair. He usually has it tied in a ponytail and would occasionally let his hair free when he's relaxing. His eyes are green and "sharp." He's almost always smiling ^_^
[Character sheet I made up for him] Explanation on the legend below:
1 = overall image = instead of having his hair falling on his face, I'd like to see him with his hair tied, please ^^
2A = his hair when let go (not so common)
2B = his hair when tied in a ponytail (more common)
3 = the tunic he wears, which is a little bit off white. It has a crimson lining on the collar. The tunic's arms are actually long, but it's covered by the...
4 = arm "glove/brace" that cover the tunic's arms. Worn on each arm, it has a thick black lace that ties each together -- to hold it in place.
5 = vest = color is dark brown; goes over the tunic [3]
6 = thick sash = the color is the same color as the tunic, which is off white, but it has thin horizontal lines of dark crimson. It goes around his waist, as if a thick belt.
7 = pouch = where he keeps the key to the barn and other small important things; attached to the sash.
8 = knee-height boots = artist can choose to design however they see fit, as long as it's dark charcoal color and it covers over the pants [9].
9 = pants = the length is longer, except it's covered by the boots [8]. It's the same color as the vest.
10 = weapon (optional) = can be a small sword or small knife.
References: [Perfect Portrait] [with Katze -- SHOUNEN AI WARNING!] [with Katze] [with Prince Katze]
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Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2005 2:22 pm
ONI  Background: Note: I'm "borrowing" the avatar and name idea from my friend, Oni J. However, I'm the one that created the rest of the background story/personality/etc for him -- for the purpose of THIS STORY ONLY!
Oni comes from a royal family that expects a lot out of him. He has 3 older sisters and they've all married off to other royal family bloodlines. As a result, he's the only one "eligible" to be the one carrying his family name. At first, he felt the tremendous pressure. However, he coped with it by "blocking it out" of his mind (this is actually very frustrating for his parents).
At the time of Katherine's first arrival, Oni had already stayed there for 2 years. They first met in Kat's novice sword fighting class. Oni had skipped his class and decided to check out the new freshmen. Kat stuck out the most on the crowd. Even though most of these freshmen were in their mid-teen years, Kat had looked the most feminine (he's thinking perhaps Kat's a late bloomer XD).
The instructor saw Oni peeking into the class and invited him to show them what he's learned about sword fighting. In short, Oni ended up picking Kat as an opponent (rather unfair XD). It was clear that Oni was winning, and Kat's true identity was almost revealed to the entire class, though the only one that really noticed "signs of cleavage" was Oni (through sight and touch). In a moment of distraction, Kat hit Oni with the bottom of her hilt under his chin, knocking him unconscious.
^^; Oddly enough, from there, their friendship "bloomed" [after he finds out the truth about her]. At first, their friendship was based solely on blackmail. But it grows for the better (fortunately for Kat? xD)
Personality: On the outside, he's very carefree and relaxed. The boys at the academy are amazed on how he's able to manage between practice, assignments, and the ladies. He's highly intelligent, talented, and very good looking.
Quite a ladies' man, right? Not to Kat though haha. He acts a bit like a mentor/bully to Katherine and would use her "naive" nature against her (pulling pranks against her, etc.). At the same time, he does act like the big brother she never had. Sometimes, she thought that may be it was a "good" thing that her older brother didn't exist anymore ^^;;; I believe he sees her as a younger sibling he never had as well.
Physical Description: He's quite tall (past 6'); 3 years older in age than Kat; and 2 years older in rank.
He has a dark brown and short (to the back of his neck only) hair that cover one side of his face sometime; super light hazel eyes--almost orange; and tanned skin. Despite some of the references, he DOES NOT have elven ears and ankle wings! His uniform is also brown and white, like Kat. However, his version consists of: short sleeved white top, covered with a dark brown vest-like top; white uniform pants; dark brown (almost black) shoes; fingerless black gloves; and the golden laurel.
References: [Avatar Reference -- DO NOT put elf ears and mini wings anklets] [Portrait -- DO NOT put elf ears and halo] [teasing Kat] [with Kat, going around town] [friendly duel with Kat]
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