Princess Rosella of Daventry

[Accidental Voice Post]

[The audio clicks on with a snap, presumably from the device impacting against the ground—]

—u don't! Sparkling Fairytale Transform!

[—and is promptly heralded with a determined, feminine shout, accompanied by the sound of snarling and growling. An eerie, vaguely whining noise fills the air for a brief moment, then fades away into the more pleasant sound of bells and what appears to be...theme music?

(Really, it's a shame this isn't video, or the Network would almost certainly be treated to a highly entertaining transformation sequence.)

However, after about thirty seconds, the music gradually fades away, and the growling abruptly becomes audible again.]

Your reign of barnyard terror has gone on long enough! Now I'm putting you out to pasture! Dazzling Cupid Rapture Dart!

[There is another whine of magic, another jingling of bells, and then a vague roar and explosion as the barnyard terror winks out of existence.]

And that's the word straight from the horse's mouth.

[Now the microphone picks up the sound of footsteps swishing through the grass, gradually growing fainter as they gain distance from the microphone...and shortly thereafter, the audio ends.]


[OOC: City, say hello to PRETTY ADVENTURER MAGIC PRINCESS ROSELLA. ( Extended OOC Notes )

:D]

( What immortal hand or eye could frame thy fearful symmetry? )

~
[Accidental Video | Open Action]

[It's late afternoon, dwindling into early evening, that finds Rosella in the Turnabout Cafe, seated at a table near a window and carefully sipping at a hot drink. Oddly, there's a bit of dirt and mud on the skirt of her otherwise neat dress--not near the hems, where one might expect it from some casual walking, but further up and streaked around where her knees would fall, as though she'd been kneeling on it somewhere outdoors. To anyone who knows her merely in passing, she seems normal and content as she drinks her beverage; for the people who know her well, it's a bit more obvious that something has rattled her. It's something about the eyes, the shoulders--she's decidedly more fidgety than usual as she talks to herself, the words almost too low to hear.]

...who lived upon a barge; in fact he was the roughest cat that ever roamed at large...

[She sips her drink, and looks out the window, and drums her fingers on the table as her lips keep moving, absently, repeating the lines of some rhyme or another she's nearly forgotten and trying valiantly to recall.]


[OOC: Please assume this is backdated a few hours! And so the Iconomancy plot marches on. The first part is a solo log and merely there for reference; the second part is open action for anyone who wants it, and Network for everyone else.]

[Accidental Voice Post]

[The recording switches on in the midst of a cacophony of noise: the crunch of snow, the rustle of fabric, the whistle of wind. A discerning listener might conclude that the device has switched on by accident, perhaps in someone's pocket, and indeed it has. However, that discerning listener would not have long to ponder that conclusion, as a brief few seconds after the recording begins, a shrill, frightened shriek pierces through the whirlwind of sound. The rustling of fabric increases, and then--

Suddenly, the noise changes to something considerably more unnatural. What is the sound of magic at work? In this case, it is a cross between a whine, a rush of wind, and a dull popping noise.

A second passes, the whine gradually fades away, and now the noise takes on a new flavor: the rumble of an engine, the growl of machinery, the crack of plastic as the Network device connects with something solid, and a faint gasp from the female voice that had been shrieking just a few seconds before. After a heartbeat, there is a resounding thud--the sound of someone sitting up too fast in an enclosed space and cracking her head against the ceiling.]

Ouch! What--?!

[Now hands and feet begin to pound against metal in a frantic, syncopated beat as the noise in the background continues, and once again she begins to scream--this time in definite words.]

No--no, no no no, no, no! No, help, help, please, someone--no, please, anyone--no, no, please, no, help me, help--!

HELP!!

[And at some point, in the frenzy of thrashing and motion, the feed cuts off.]


[OOC: So apparently it's becoming a tradition--every hundred posts, Rosella uses her magic stone of teleportation and gets dumped someplace totally inconvenient. In this case, it's the trunk of dude_imbatman Impala, after just having the daylights scared out of her by the Tickler (details here; log is still ongoing). Awkward.

Action for Dean, Network for everyone else, all responses assumed to be voice, and other than possibly an initial few comments of her screaming incoherently in the trunk, will generally come sometime after Dean lets her out. ♥]

[Voice Post]

[The audio begins with Rosella, sounding positively exasperated, with a fair amount of rustling, shuffling, and clattering going on in the background.]

All right, honestly, I know I tend to keep my room rather on the messy side, but throwing it all outside is hardly a proper solution for getting it cleaned up! It's absolutely ridiculous. Though I will admit that it was rather nice to walk all the way from my bed to the door without once having to hop from clear patch to clear patch like stepping stones. But really, those are my things! And it's not as though I couldn't always find everything I needed to, anyway, regardless of the mess. It all had its place! Just...well, sometimes the place happened to be wherever I could find a clear spot to put it at the time.

Oh, rats, all my gowns, all my shoes, even those ridiculous heels and my modern jeans...ugh, what a mess. It'll take weeks to get all this sorted out again. At least my rose collection managed to stay in its box where it belongs, thank goodness, and there's my portrait over there, of course.. ...Oh, and there's that oddly-shaped twig I found a month ago. I was wondering where that'd gotten off to. I suppose it must've gotten mixed in with the nails and boards by mistake, when it ought to have gone with the rocks and bottles. And my rope, what's that doing all the way over...

[She trails off as something seems to occur to her.]

...My rope! Oh, drat it all, what about--

[And the shuffling and clattering resumes, louder and faster this time, as Rosella attacks the piles with renewed vigor. It's clear that she's got something in mind she's searching for, and equally clear that despite her best efforts, she's still not finding it.]

Rats, rats, rats, where is it, where did it go? Drat it all, where are you? Locked or not, I can't have you just sitting out where anyone could--oh, rats!

[A brief pause.]

...Which reminds me, there had better not be any giant spiders in here, either.



[OOC: So Rosella, like the rest of her family, is a canonical pack rat. Which means you're liable to find pretty much anything in the contents of her room, from broken bits of vases to interesting-looking stones to bent pieces of pipe to whatever else you can imagine. But there are also some particularly noteworthy objects in the midst of it all, ( such as... )

Feel free to action her up if you want to come look through her stuff with her! And Network for everyone else, with all of Rosella's responses assumed to be voice.]

( Private//Hackable by Friends )

The Fountain at night really is rather pretty, isn't it? It's been a while since I last went to see it after sunset. It's odd, though. I've heard it said that if you look into the Fountain, it will sometimes show you your homeland reflected back, like a window to another place. And there are rather a lot of stories like that, aren't there? Looking through water as smooth as glass to see from place to place, or oracles using water to reflect back their prophecies, and all manner of things like that.

But I doubt that anything the Fountain shows will be true, no matter how pretty or how reassuring it may be to go look into it. It was bad enough, seeing the illusions of all our homes when the barrier began falling apart last December; I imagine the visions in the Fountain are likely the same way. Still, it's an interesting enough thing to look at, even if it is all untrue. And if nothing else, it might give me some ideas...

It'd be a little too kind, wouldn't it, if it were all true? But it'd be a bittersweet kindness, I think, being able to see a truthful image of our home without ever being able to reach it. So perhaps it's better that it doesn't, and that we know it doesn't.

All the same, I think I'll go have a look into it tonight. I don't know what I'll see in all the lies it tells, but they'll be pretty enough lies, I'm sure. And Valor won't mind the exercise, either.


[OOC: And she's off, and heading for the Fountain to...sit around looking into it. Feel free to action her up if you want to run into her out there; she'll be hanging around at the Fountain for a while, and always glad for a chance to chat. So! Action for people near the Fountain, Network for everyone else.]

( Private//Hackable by Friends )

Let's see, now. We're just a bit over halfway through the month, and thus far we've seen the City change...three times now, is it? Once in the beginning, with all the boats and whatnot. Once for the curse where we all thought we were visitors to a foreign city, and I was so terribly concerned with being able to speak French, when I really don't know much more than one phrase at all in it. And one just this past weekend, where the whole City went dark for a day, and there were those, er...fireworks, I think? The explosions that lit up the sky all day. They're marvelous things, those fireworks, how they manage to make such pretty shapes out of bits of light, all the way up in the sky. A little unsettling, perhaps, when they explode, but pretty nonetheless.

But more exciting than the fireworks, of course, were the visitors. I always do like it when the visitors come, just for the fun of talking with all of them and hearing their stories. Sometimes they turn out to be people we're very much longing to see, and other times they're entirely unexpected visitors, but they're always interesting in one way or another. And some are dangerous, I think, but--

I wonder how it is, though, that those people that are important to us seem to have such a knack for finding us here, those few days out of the year. Do they tumble in by accident, the same way that the residents here seem to? Or do they somehow know that we're here and waiting for them when those days come, and the opportunity arises for them to come and visit? I suppose we'll never know, really, but it's an interesting conundrum, nonetheless.

Of course, some of the visitors are kind enough, but just downright silly. Or puzzling. Or frogs claiming to be princes that need a kiss from a princess to change them back to normal again. Honestly, this is the third time now...

But as nice as it was while it lasted, the visit has come and gone, and things are getting back to normal, it seems. Or, well, as normal as things ever get around the City, anyway.

Which reminds me. Er...congratulations, of course, to everyone who has discovered that they're with child today. Even if I'm almost certain it's only due to a curse. It's wonderful news, and I think it's just...lovely to hear. Of course.

[OOC: BRB, dinnertime! Back soon. ♥ AND BACK!]

( Private//Hackable by Friends )

I suppose it's rather funny, really, that I made a resolution to be modern in some things and old-fashioned in others this year, and now I've gone from a court gown in Daventry to this getup all in the same week. And it must be a curse that's brought it about, since it seems all my usual dresses have disappeared for the day, and been replaced with things like this instead. I do hope they all come back at midnight, though, since I really do rather like those dresses, and it'd be troublesome to have to try to replace all of them now. Especially since my court gown is the one with--

But since it doesn't seem as though anyone else on the Network is sharing my predicament, despite clearly being cursed, I suppose that means it's one of the random weekends again? That's odd, it doesn't seem as though it's been that long since the last, and now here it is again.

The curses do seem to fall into patterns that way, don't they? I know there's been some speculation as to whether or not they really do follow any sort of pattern, but the longer one remains here, the more it seems as though they must. Some of the longtime residents can even remember several multiples of the same curse, I know, and we've been having weekends like this for months now, without fail.

On the other hand, some curses don't repeat very often at all--like the dream curse we had, just a few days ago. I'm glad I was able to see that one again. It was different this time than the first time I had it, but...well. Any curse that lets me see my family again can hardly be called a bad one, and any curse that lets me go home, even if it's only a dream...that's a rare and precious thing. And I'm glad that so many of you were able to come with me, too. Perhaps someday we'll manage it in real life, and not merely in dreams, hmm?

And speaking of managing, there's still plenty of things I want to finish today, and I've been lucky enough to draw a curse that won't hinder me from getting them done. Well, not very much, anyway. These oh, what are they called again? Jeans? jeans are comfortable enough, really, but they're simply dreadful for keeping things in. Honestly, I can barely fit half my hand into these pockets, much less hold anything in them.


[OOC: Why, yes, that is Rosella in jeans today, courtesy of the Wardrobe Switch curse. She's keeping busy at the Library today, so feel free to action her up if you're there; for everyone else, it's a Network post.]

[Accidental Video Post]

[Here is Rosella, sitting quietly in the Library with her nose buried in a dusty old book with a leather-bound cover. Next to her is a tall stack of books, equally dusty and equally leather-bound, and all of which look relatively ancient. It's not necessarily a neat stack, so some of the spines are turned away from the camera, but of the few that can be read, there is a common theme--all have something to do with symbols, iconography, or runology.

The book Rosella is currently poring over, when she tips it in such a way that the cover can be read--perhaps as she turns a page--is entitled, "The Good Housekeeper's Book Of Common Icons and Enchanted Runes", and every so often she retrieves a piece of notebook paper from the table next to her, holding it up in comparison to a page in the book. After each comparison, she pauses, frowns, and resumes reading once again, occasionally muttering to herself.]

...May have the unfortunate side effect of causing carrots to sprout from one's--no, that's not it...

[After a short while, she eventually glances over, and notices her Network device is on.]

Oh, drat it all. How long have you been on?

[She reaches for the device, presumably to turn its recording off, but then pauses and glances at her piece of notebook paper once again. After a moment of consideration, she picks up the paper and holds it up for the camera:]



Well...oh, it couldn't hurt to ask, anyway. I don't suppose anyone could tell me what it is this symbol means, could you?

[She gives the camera a single hopeful look, then reaches for it as if to switch it off, and the feed abruptly ends.]


[OOC: So yeah, three guesses which canon bled over into Rosella's yesterday, and the first two don't count. She's currently convinced that the design itself is some kind of magic symbol of power, and she's trying to figure out what it is. Have at her? =D

EDIT: Regarding potential fourth-walling--fourth wall away as much as you want, as far as Zelda canon information goes, but just don't tell her outright that it's a video game, please?]

( Private//Hackable by Friends )

( Video//Off-Network )

[Filtered from Alexis Hargreaves | Blue's Codes | Unhackable]

Well, if there's one thing I regret about this whole weekend, it's that I wasn't able to find the time to go ice skating while we had all that snow! I've never seen snow falling in the middle of June before, save for perhaps up in the mountains where it's always cold, and I would've liked to enjoy it a little while it was here. Still, I don't regret it that much, particularly not when everything else went so well!

Goodness, it was certainly a busy weekend, though. First was the dance competition, of course, which I'm sure that everyone enjoyed. I know I certainly did! Though I do think I'm a bit spoiled, now, because I've had so many wonderful partners to dance with. Let's see, and then Saturday...well, Saturday was a whole different kind of busy, trying to run around and make arrangements to put on the play in the middle of all that snow--but we managed it, didn't we? And then Sunday was the play itself, and that whole day almost feels like a dream, itself. First getting to see Daddy, and then hurrying around to calm down everyone else that saw their father getting everything ready for the play, and then really, truly acting in it after all this time, and then attending the party afterward...what a whirlwind of a day!

I suppose it's rather a shame that things will likely be settling down now, after such an exciting string of days, but at the same time I don't mind it, either. It'll be nice to get back to the usual routine, pick up the projects I've been neglecting ugh, salt and mistletoe, and take some time to just sit back and enjoy the beautiful weather. It feels like summer again, now that the snow is gone, and it makes me want to get outside and go exploring and have fun while it lasts!

…Or…perhaps not so beautiful. Was that thunder? I hope there’s not another a storm coming…

( Private to Sam )


[OOC: afoaishf most tl;dr post ever, sorry--loose ends to tie up and all that. King's Quest canon says the process of working magic has the side effect of slowing down time (which in practice means the game clock pauses while you're casting a spell), hence the "distortion" in the recording of the video. And the link is not IC, obviously.]

( Private//Hackable by Friends )

[Filtered from Alexis Hargreaves | Blue's Codes | Unhackable]

Well, that party at Victrola was...certainly an interesting way to spend an evening, wasn't it? Thank you for offering me the invitation, Blair. And thank you, also, to everyone I spoke with that evening, too; I very much appreciated the company. It was particularly lovely to make your acquaintance, Captain Kirk, and I do hope we'll have the occasion to speak again sometime soon.

But now it's back to the usual routine, it seems, and that's all right with me. Summer is coming, the weather is beautiful, and it's already June. Come to think of it, that means as of tomorrow, I'll have been here...ten months. Goodness, sometimes it really doesn't seem like it's been ten whole months but then other times it feels like it's been years. But it's nice, isn't it? I've made so many friends and gotten to do so many lovely things since I've been here.

There's a story in one of my fairy-tale books about a princess who was very stubborn and very spoiled, and whenever her father would bring a suitor before her, she would find something about him to ridicule. Finally, along came a young king, and he too the princess ridiculed, mocking him and calling him by a nickname that made fun of the beard he wore. And so she would have none of them for her suitor. But then her father the king found out about all this, and he vowed--and this is always the troublesome part in fairy tales, isn't it? Making a hasty vow--that he would have his daughter marry the first man that came through the doors the next day, no matter who it was.

The next day, a minstrel came along and happened to be the first man through the doors; the princess cried and cried at her misfortune, but her father was firm in his oath, and had them married. Then the minstrel took the princess away from her palace and brought her back to his own home. Along the way, they passed fields and fields of beautiful lands, and when the princess asked who such lands belonged to, her husband told her that they were the lands of the same young king she'd mocked for his beard--and that all those lands would've been hers, too, if she'd married him rather than ridiculing him.

When they reached the minstrel's hut, the princess was aghast because it was so small and rough and not at all the sort of place she was used to, and there were no servants to tend to her needs; she'd have to look after herself. And eventually, her husband told her that she would have to start working herself, to ensure that they'd have enough money to survive. So she tried selling pottery, but a drunkard passing through the marketplace on horseback accidentally ran into her wares and smashed them all to bits. Crying, she told her husband what had happened, and he arranged for her to work as a kitchen maid in a nearby castle--the castle of the young king she'd mocked, that might've been hers if she'd married him rather than ridiculing him.

But eventually, the princess realized that she had a duty to do her part to help them survive, and so she went to work in the castle, even though she was ashamed of her position and the fact that she was working in the very castle of a suitor she'd scorned. But she worked, and she did her best, and they managed, she and her husband the minstrel.

Finally, one day, she received word that the young king was having his wedding celebration that day, and the head servant gave her orders to deliver the wedding cake. Afraid that the young king would see her face and recognize her, the princess held the wedding cake high as she carried it, so that it would cover her face. But just as she walked into the grand hall with it, she tripped and fell, completely ruining the cake--and she began to cry, not because of her own misfortune, but because she'd ruined the young king's wedding day with her clumsiness. But then, to her surprise, someone helped her up and dried her tears, asking her why she was crying on her own wedding day; when she looked, she realized it was the minstrel standing before her, but dressed in the garb of the young king. He explained, then, that he had masqueraded as the minstrel, and as the drunkard in the street, in order to humble her spirit, punish her arrogance, and teach her compassion for others. The princess thanked him for it, and they were married properly, and that's the end of the tale.

I wonder, though, about that princess and her young king. It's one thing to teach her compassion, after all, and perhaps she did deserve to have her arrogance punished. But to break her spirit...well. I'd like to think that the young king might've loved her for her spirit. But of course, it's only a story, isn't it?

Goodness, I've certainly written a lot today, haven't I? It's a good thing I was in the mood for it, I suppose!

Oh, and if I might ask, now that I've told my story--does anyone know the name of a good jeweler? I'm looking for one that's good at setting stones, please.


[OOC: This tl;dr post brought to you by the letter Kanda Yuu, who decided to complain to Rosella about writing too much on her last post. Yes, she's doing it on purpose. I, however, apologize for it. >> Also, if your character was at Victrola last night and wants to say they saw her or talked to her there, I'm open to assuming!]