Princess Rosella of Daventry

( Private || Hackable by Friends )

My goodness, wasn't that an interesting Halloween? It was certainly less busy than the one we had last year, since none of those visitors came to call this year, but I should think this one was plenty exciting enough on its own, just the same. That curse has happened before, I've heard--the one about people turning into their costumes, that is--and it is rather a shame to have to worry about things like that when picking out a costume for the occasion. But October is always an unusual month around here, and it's always better to err on the side of caution, really.

I do wish people would stop looking at me strangely, though. It's only a bruise, and there are much worse things I could've ended up as for a night than the princess and the pea, anyway. I wonder if there's anything around that might help cover it up?

But in any case, it's November now, and it seems things are finally settling down after the past few weeks, which means I finally have the chance to say thank you to everyone that was so kind to me throughout last month. I know some of you visited my, er, dreams, and that others of you were very concerned for me when I thought I was an angel, and I really do appreciate it. I'm quite all right now, if a bit sore and weary, and now that October is over with, I hope I'm sure we'll have some time to relax and enjoy some peace and quiet.

I think I'll go for a ride today, too. It'll soon be too cold out for it, if I wait much longer, and I have some things to deliver around, anyway. And Valor would be glad for the exercise, I'm sure.


[OOC: And thus ends another Doomtober! Which means Rosella's slowly getting back onto her feet, though she does have a rather nice bruise on her cheek from the curse on Halloween. Such are the hazards of dressing up as the Princess and the Pea when the City turns you into your costume. Also, she'll be riding around today dropping off wrapped plates of treats for her friends, so feel free to say she left you one, if you're friends with her!]

It's interesting, really; we've been having weekends like this past one for more than a year and a half now, and even though they're always quite ridiculous and often full of the same sorts of curses, no two weekends are ever just alike. I've been a bird quite a few times now--which is rather a shame, since I was thinking very hard about dressing up as one for Halloween, but the idea seems a bit less appealing now that I've just spent the whole weekend as one--and I've been a child, too, and I've felt compelled to write my name all over things, and I've acted...well, quite unlike myself at times, as well. And sometimes my friends turn into animals themselves, and other times their souls come out for a visit, and other times still it's memories on the Network or red letters on their clothes or something else equally silly and uncomfortable. But they're never just the same as the last, no matter how many times we have them.

This was the first time I'd been turned into a bird with a cat in the house, actually. Which isn't to say that I haven't done my share of staying away from cats when I've been turned into a bird, but usually I can manage to reason with the cat in question when it comes up, and Snowdrop didn't seem particularly interested in listening to reason at the time, anyway. So it's lucky that she didn't manage to get me, though I am rather pleased that she saw fit to come into my room at all, since it wasn't so long ago that she wouldn't even dare to set foot inside the door.

But in any case, it was no harm done and it's all over now, so that's that.

Let's see, then. Today is the eighteenth of October, which means two weeks from today is November first--so it's only two more weeks until October is over with for another year. It really does seem to be going fast, doesn't it? Or at least, faster than it did last year. And a bit milder than it was last year, too, which could mean one of two things--either this month is going to be milder all around than we've been expecting, or the past few weeks have been the calm before the storm, and the next two are going to be terribly troublesome. But there's really no way of knowing until they come, of course, so the most we can do is to hope for the best and plan for the worst, and simply ride out the next two weeks however they may turn out.

Oh, but speaking of which, that reminds me. A few months ago, when the deities had us all writing essays about one word or another, they rewarded those efforts with a sort of coin or token that was said to have the power to undo a curse. I know it's been a while since then, and we've had some rather awful curses in that time, so I was curious to know--has anyone used one of those tokens before? And if so, what ended up coming of it? Did it really manage to undo a curse that had already struck?

That's the sort of thing that might turn out to be quite useful to know, after all, and especially so considering the tricks this month often likes to play on us.

Mm. Two more weeks of October. I suppose that also means it's just about the time to start expecting Peg-Fist Jack and his ghostly crew, isn't it? Goodness, that legend has been around a long time now--pirates and lost treasure and a ship full of ghosts said to appear around Halloween, looking to claim it again. It's just the sort of spooky thing that goes with this time of year, isn't it? And at least ghosts, I should think, would be much more harmless than most of the things we tend to run into when this month comes around.


[OOC: Sob, nostalgia. So two years ago, Rosella and a friend invented a Halloween legend about a ghost pirate named Peg-Fist Jack, his first mate Leonard the Barnacle, and his ghost ship, the Wandering Hangman; it's evolved into a sort of running joke for her by now, so bringing him up this time of year is tradition. Longtime residents, feel free to note the fact that she does this every year. After all, it's all in good fun. :D]

[Accidental Video Post]

[The device fades in to the sight of Rosella, standing in front of a full-length mirror and gazing at herself as she turns and poses a few times, admiring the view from all angles. After a few moments, her eyes flicker over to the Network device, but they quickly return to the image in the mirror; when she speaks, her voice sounds vaguely preoccupied, as though it requires great effort to focus on anything except the sight of herself, and that the fact that her device has switched on by accident is somehow unworthy of her concern. As it is, the quiet loftiness of her voice makes it difficult to tell whether she's addressing the Network as a whole, or just talking to herself.]

I really am quite beautiful, you know.

[She runs her fingers through her hair, arranging it prettily over her shoulders, and leans forward to admire the effect a bit more closely.]

I suppose it's only natural that I would be, though. I am a princess, after all. Which isn't to say that all princesses are beautiful simply because they're princesses, of course, because I've known quite a lot of ugly ones, too. But that sort of thing does seem to go hand in hand, being beautiful and being a princess.

[She pauses, half-turning to the side, and admires the rippling movement of the train of her skirt as it follows.]

It's really no wonder Edgar fell in love at first sight when he saw me. And to think, I wasn't even wearing a pretty gown then, either. Not at all like this one. But of course, even the prettiest gown can't make an ugly person beautiful. The whole point of a lovely outfit is to complement the beauty that's already there in the person. Cinderella's wicked stepsisters were ugly no matter what pretty things they wore, and Cinderella was beautiful even when all she had to wear were rags.

[She reaches over as she speaks, retrieving a crown from somewhere off-camera and placing it daintily on her head, tilting her chin this way and that to take in the view from all angles before removing it again.]

It's more than just being lovely, though. Real beauty is the sort of thing that comes from within, you know--that's how it always goes in the stories. The youngest princess isn't just the fairest of them all because she's pretty, but because she's good and kind and sweet as well. So it's really no wonder that I'm as lovely as I am, since I'm as good as they come. I'm clever and sweet and wonderfully self-sacrificing--how many of those other princesses would willingly go to their own certain doom for the sake of saving their kingdom? And how many would rush off to save their father's life without a second thought for their own well-being? Anyone can sit around in a tower being dainty and fragile and never lifting a finger to help another person. And even when I'm getting into trouble, it's always because I'm trying to do the right thing.

[She slides her hands through her hair once more, pulling it away from her face and tilting her head to admire her face in profile, then lets it fall in golden curls around her face as she grins her prettiest smile yet.]

So I suppose it's no wonder I'm as lovely as I am, really.

[And after showcasing another minute or two of preening, the video fades out.]


[OOC: SO CURSED. Which really just means her usual slight superficiality is now in full force. >> Also, she's wearing one of the dresses Cinna made for her, with the noted alterations from the picture provided--the train isn't as long and the belt has pouches, not gears. Please feel free to remark on it! It's brand-new, and she's about as pleased with it as she is with herself, today. Which is a lot..]

...Goodness, when I was baking for the party tonight, I wasn't expecting this many visitors. But it seems you're all here again, are you? It's not quite so nice as being able to visit home, of course, but it's always lovely to have visitors. And especially for the holidays!

Just not Lolotte, please, not her--not again...

Hello, everyone! Do come by to say hello, won't you? It's always such fun to see you and visit with you. And of course, you're welcome to stay for the party tonight, if you'd like! I'm sure it won't be any trouble at all.

...Well, unless we run out of snacks, but it's not as though it's difficult to make a few batches of cookies in a hurry. Speaking of which, I rather ought to get busy with that, shouldn't I?

And of course...if there's anyone here from the land of Daventry, please do stop in to say hello. It's been quite a while since I last heard word of home, and I'd be glad for any news.

...My, what a nice way to end October. I think perhaps it'll turn out to be a happy Halloween, after all.


[OOC: /copies and pastes As always: Canonically, she's from just after the end of Perils of Rosella, and with some very disjointed and vague knowledge of Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder. If something comes up that I don't want her to know, I'll just have her forget it, so have a party--anything goes! HIT HER WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT.

Also, muns, keeping in the spirit of Ye Olde Text-Based Adventure Games, that down below there? Is a command prompt. If you feel like 'directing' Rosella to carry out actions like "get bowl" or "open door", she might just feel compelled to respond...unless it's too complicated, in which you might get a fun error message instead. (Guaranteed acceptable commands include "get", "look", "open", "close", and "use".) Have fun!

And of course, I am totally okay with backdating.]

> |

Well, let's see. The good news is, I managed to make it as far as the Library, unscathed, before realizing what the curse was all about today. The, er, bad news is...well. Here I am, and there's a curse. And it's monsters again.

Is that what it's going to be for the rest of October, then? One ridiculous curse and then one of monsters? It rather has been going every-other, hasn't it--first the fire-starting, then that ridiculous bear, then the eating other people, then everyone growing beards, and now this. Monsters. Turning people into monsters and setting them on each other.

That's two monster curses now, I think, isn't it? The last one and now this one. Which means there ought to be one more coming, still; bad things in threes and all that. Or at least, that's how it would work if the City were Daventry, which it's not, but some things are the same no matter where you go, I suppose.

It's eerie how it all seems to fit with that theory Cain mentioned yesterday. If the monsters in the forest and the underground were once citizens here, and somehow they were turned into monsters, and the only remaining bit of who they were are names on the stones in the graveyard--it's a story befitting October, I think. But I still hope it isn't true. Perhaps it's scariest because it might very well be true.

Mm. And speaking of City legends, it's about time for Peg-Fist Jack and the ghostly crew of the Wandering Hangman to start roaming the City again, isn't it? It's coming up on Halloween, after all--only eleven more days, now. It's not so very long at all. And I haven't lost my bet yet, either.

Still, I'll be all right for the rest of the day, I think. There are worse places to wait out a curse than a Library, anyway. And I do have my bow with me, just in case trouble should decide to find me in here. Perhaps in a little while I'll see if things haven't settled down enough for me to make my way to the Blue Light...and if they haven't, then I'll stay here until midnight, and that's quite all right, too.


[OOC: So right about this time last year, Rosella and Rabi Lavi invented a Halloween legend about a pirate named Peg-Fist Jack, his first mate Leonard the Barnacle, and the ghostly crew of the Wandering Hangman--which is what she's referencing here. It's entirely made-up and has no factual basis to it whatsoever, but hey, every Halloween needs a ghostly pirate legend or two, right? She certainly thinks so.

Also, yes, she's stranded in the Library today, if anyone wants to visit her.]

My good sir Bear,

I am exceedingly happy for you, and I am of course going to let you finish, but the insomnia curse was the worst what-do-you-mean-it’s-not-over-at-midnight curse of all time.

...

...

...Of all time. There, I repeated it.

It'll be a miracle if we don't all go mad from this. Everywhere you go, that's all it is, all the time, every other sentence is "of all time, of all time". People come looking for books in the Library, seeking the best stories of all time, and other people jump in and interrupt them to protest that no, this book is the best story of all time, of all time. And then they have a whole interrupting sort of fight and if you go and interrupt them yourself, you can bet you'll be protesting something else of all time, too.

It's like a game of rhymes, almost. Can you coin a pretty rhyme, of all time, of all time? The best this of all time, the best that of all time. Honestly, if I never hear the phrase "of all time" again, it'll be too soon.

Tristan, it was a pleasure to have you stay with us the other night, and I do hope you had a pleasant time. The forest is--I'm very happy for it and I'm going to let it finish but the Warehouse is the best place to stay over of all time. Of all time. Drat it all!

Ugh, this is ridiculous. I have half a mind to go play my flute as loud as I can, just to drown out all the "of all times". Except that then I'm certain someone will point out how happy they are for me and how they're going to let me finish, but someone else is the best at playing the flute of all time, of all time.

...Someone stop me. Please.


[OOC: Threadjack this post like you wouldn't believe. Have a party!]

After spending the better part of a week repeating back everyone else's words as they said them to me, it's really a refreshing and welcomed change to sit down and write some of my own, instead. We've had curses before that have prevented us from speaking our mind, either by forcing us to speak in verse or making us write in letters or changing the manner of it in some way or another, but I always thought of those as...as games, really. A new challenge to master, over the course of a day: could I make myself heard and understood, despite the obstacles and conditions the City had put in my way? And normally I can, and it's the challenge of succeeding at it that makes it an entertainment, not a punishment.

But I know you detest those sorts of curses, Cain. And now I think I have a better understanding as to why.

I have my heart back now. And I'm still a little--jumbled, I think, was the word I was using earlier this morning, when it first came back. But I'm terribly grateful to all of you who looked after me and worried for me and searched for answers for me while I was without it, and Princess Tutu, I can't possibly thank you enough for restoring it to me in the end. I'm deeply in your debt.

That's what it is, that condition, being so dull and emotionless and fragile--it happened because I gave up lost my heart. So if there is anyone still out there still behaving or feeling that way, or any friend of such a person worried sick about them, that's what it is. So don't lose hope. There's an answer after all.

Every cloud has a silver lining, and sometimes we learn the best lessons from the worst circumstances. Perhaps that's foolishly optimistic of me to say, but I've suddenly found myself able to be optimistic at all once again, and so I'm going to be selfish and indulge in it for now.

Someone very wise once told me that no matter what happens, things always get better, and that's the reason why we have to hold on with everything we have through the worst of times. I can't begin to count how many times I've repeated that to myself, in my time spent here in the City, and I imagine I'll say it to myself just as many times in the future still to come. But if there's one lesson I've learned from all this, it's that the worst circumstances hurt so much because they happen to the people we love so much.

It's an odd thing to think, isn't it? That perhaps sometimes suffering and hurting is better than feeling nothing at all, because at least when one is hurting, they're still feeling?

I've learned a lot of lessons from all this.

( Private to Ahiru )

There's twenty-four days left in October now. And I've vowed to go this whole month without letting the City get any misery out of me. It's not much, I know, but I'm going to keep to it as long as I can, and see how long it'll last me. With any luck, I'll make it the whole way through; I do hate losing, after all.

It helps that I can finally find it in myself to smile again.


[OOC: Rosella got her heart back last night at midnight, thanks to the efforts of Princess Tutu, so Zombie!sella is no more thank goodness!]

( Private//Hackable by Friends )

Today, as I was walking home from the zoo in Xanadu, I saw a dog sitting by the front gates. When I walked past him, he got up and started trotting along behind me. He followed me all the way to the Warehouse before turning around and meandering away again. I thought it was really quite chivalrous of him, taking the time to see me all the way home. MLIA.

..."MLIA"? Why did I just write that?

...Honestly, that incident really rather was the high point of my day, too. It's been a terribly average one so far; I put away books in the Library, did a little bit of last-minute shopping before Blair's the charity ball Blair is hosting tomorrow, went to the zoo to watch the eagles, and now I'm here in my room, making a list and glancing over the Network and thinking about what to do this evening.

Perhaps I'll take Valor for a ride through the forest. There's something pleasant about riding in autumn, watching the leaves turn colors all around and listening to them crunch underfoot. Perhaps I'll see if I can't find an oak tree or two around, and look for acorns. And perhaps I'll take my bow, and see if I still recall how to shoot while on horseback. It is October, after all.

And perhaps I'll make gingerbread tonight, too. Gingerbread and warm cider sounds like a pleasant treat for an autumn evening--and particularly so, after all that tea I've been drinking lately. It eased my sore throat quite well, it's true, but now that I'm well again, I'm more than ready to have a different drink for a change.

It's twenty-nine more days until November.


[OOC: Today, Rosella is affected with the MLIA half of the curse. She is having a perfectly average day--feel free to liven it up! Or high-five her, or text "I love you" to her cell phone, or offer to build a couch fort with her, or any of those other delightfully average things that MLIAers seem to do. ♥]