Princess Rosella of Daventry

[Filtered from Known DELILAH Members | Blue's Codes | Unhackable]

To-Do This Week
--Baking

o) Pies (all the good kinds)
o) Christmas cookies
o) Other cookies so I don't eat all the Christmas cookies
o) Gingerbread houses!

--Shopping (Food)

o) Christmas dinner things
o) Extra flour
o) Candy for decorating gingerbread houses
o) Dinner things for Miss Saya's friends at the Warehouse

--Shopping (Presents)

o) Christmas presents
o) Birthday presents
o) New bells for Valor's harness

--Other Things

o) Make Edmund get up and about
o) Christmas tree!
o) Dust the Warehouse
o) Visit Ellington (with a present?) What does one get a lake monster, anyway?
o) NO UNICORNS
o) Do all this regardless of curses
o) And without sounding like Mother any more than I have already

Well, I suppose that might be a lofty set of goals, but there's only six more days until Christmas and it's certainly not going to manage itself! So there's nothing to do but get right to it, after all. And of course, there's no better way to let alone a silly weekend than by keeping busy, either.


[OOC: So, people staying in the Warehouse courtesy of Saya: hi, there! Meet Rosella. She's been a little spotty around the place lately for unrelated reasons (which is also my handy excuse for why she may not have met your characters in person), but she's been popping in to cook and clean every so often, so feel free to have noticed her, recognize her as Saya's sweet blonde princessy roommate, observe that she is the reason why the refrigerator never seems to go empty, etc. ♥]

Once upon a time there lived a princess with six brothers, whose wicked stepmother turned them all into swans...

It's a little strange, I suppose. Every year on this day, I find myself telling that story, and every year I end up wondering on that little princess, and her bravery, and the long task she undertook in order to break the curse on her brothers. Six years of silence without ever once smiling or laughing or speaking a single word, and the task of sewing six little shirts from thistles in the meantime. It's one of my favorite fairy tales, really. I suppose that's why I have such a penchant for telling it again and again.

Well, that and because, as I say every year when I tell it, six years is a long time to wait. And every year I find myself appreciating more and more the magnitude of the undertaking she agreed to for the sake of her brothers.

I've waited three years, now, for mine. And still that's only half of what she endured.

It's supposed to be a magic number, three. Good things come in threes, and sometimes bad things do, too. And some of us often go around and around on whether or not this time here in the City is a good thing or a bad one, or if it's perhaps a little of both, or if it's really all just a matter of how one looks at it. When I fell into the Fountain three years ago today, I certainly never could've imagined that I'd be here three years later, looking back on it with so many things done and friends made and adventures experienced in that time. I certainly never thought that the young hero who came to my rescue that day would turn out to be the best friend I've ever known. And I never could've guessed at all the others I'd meet along the way, and how important they would all end up becoming to me.

I suppose that's a sort of magic in itself, isn't it?

Mm, and it seems there's a curse today, as there often is on my anniversary. Two years ago, I remember I forgave the City for bringing me here, because it let me meet all of you. Last year I spent it thinking about time, and how hard it would be to sum up everything I've done here into a tale like that of the princess with the swan brothers. So today, I'll say the truth is that I do miss my kingdom in Daventry, and I wish I were there with my family, but by now it'd really only mean leaving one home and family to return to another.

I've lasted three years already; I think I can dare to manage however many more are in store.


[OOC: Ohhh, snap, it's Rosella's Polyversary! Three years ago today I brought her in to Poly, and the joy and pleasure of playing her hasn't ceased since. (And as of tomorrow, she'll be my longest running character ever! o/) ♥ It's been an amazing three years, everyone, so THANK YOU yet again to everyone who's played with me in this time, and here's hoping there'll be many more excellent ones to come!]

( Private || Hackable by Friends )

I suppose there really isn't a great deal to be said about the past few curses we've had lately, other than to acknowledge that they were just as ridiculous as they always are, and to be thankful that it all seems to have blown over now. I hope everyone can be as understanding as possible in the aftermath--after all, the hardest curses to forgive really are the ones that need it most. I'm doing my best to be as understanding as I can be, too.

Oh, which reminds me--Sparrow, I'm not certain if it really was a fair trade, a yam and some other things in exchange for your movie, so if you'd like it back, I'll be happy to return it to you. But if it's all the same to you, I'd really rather like to keep it, if I may. I think I'm going to make a day of watching movies tomorrow, and this one looks wonderfully fun.

And, er, I know this is a rather odd question to ask, but it's been on my mind lately, so I thought I'd...well. It couldn't hurt to ask, I suppose, if anyone is willing to indulge me a little. There's...no real reason for my asking, other than that it's just something I'd like to hear:

What is your best friend like, City?


[OOC: So tomorrow marks the anniversary of Sam Witwicky's departure, and therefore one year Rosella's spent without her best friend in the City. Hence the curiosity. Also, my dreams have come true and she's acquired a VHS of Mary Poppins, which she'll be viewing tomorrow along with Sam's old copy of Transformers in memory. Good stuff! Bodice-ripper? What bodice ripper. DENIAL IS NOT JUST A RIVER IN EGYPT. What shenanigans will ensue from this? Only time will tell!]

( Written Correspondence: Sir Mal Heymer )

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( Written Correspondence: Sir Zuko Flamel )

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( Written Correspondence: The Most Honble. The Marquis of Cloverfeld, Nigel Colbie )

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[Video | Open Action]

[It's far more pleasant to spend time in the garden at Versailles; the palace itself is cramped and stifling, and such enclosed spaces have never sat well with Rosella, who much prefers open spaces and clear air. So at the moment she can be found lingering near the marvel that is the fountains, admiring the sculptures and the scenes they depict, and carefully calculating her plans for the evening.

Any passerby who stop for a word and a moment of her time will be received with her most charming smile and her full attentions; she's not about to waste any opportunity to gain advantage that may arise, no matter how slight, and the more she impresses, the better.]


[OOC: See HERE for the details! TL;DR, Rosella de Brus, Princesse Royale of Daventry, is large and in charge in your Versailles! Muns of her entourage, I hope the names and titles I've randomly bestowed here are cool with you; if there's a problem with any of it, let me know and I'll fix it right away! Let's have some shenanigans. o/]

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...Yesterday was quite a curse, wasn't it?

I do hope everyone's all right today, and that no one found themselves seriously harmed by any compulsions yesterday. I suppose that's the sort of curse that could be as harmless or as dangerous as one cares to make it, really--or rather, as the one in power cares to make it, I should say. I know there were some people who tried very hard to make things easier on the people who had the misfortune to be cursed, certainly, and from what I saw on the Network, there were others who did everything they could to take advantage of the situation instead. I suppose I should count myself lucky I wasn't made to do anything worse than a few silly errands and some running around, really. It certainly could've been much worse.

Curses like that always put me in mind of marionettes, somehow. I had one as a girl, a gift from a gnome who was a friend of the family, and he showed me how to make it dance by pulling on the strings. I think that's a rather apt analogy for a curse like yesterday's, as well--one person dancing, and the other tugging at the strings to make it so. It's the same sort of thing, I think; the marionette can't help how it moves, and it's so all on the puppetmaster to determine how gently or cruelly it dances.

But of course, there's a difference between a person and a toy, just the same. Some people on this Network would do well to remember that.

Still, it's over now, and I think I'm going to spend today doing whatever I want, however I please, in whichever order I care to do it. It's often said that we never properly appreciate what we have until it's gone, and if there's one thing yesterday's curse has taught me, it's that free will goes underappreciated far, far too often.


[OOC: Yup, she was cursed yesterday. Fortunately, Cain found a loophole and got her out of obeying everyone (at the expense of obeying him alone), so she didn't have nearly as bad a day as she could've. Which is why she's just kind of thoughtful and introspective instead of a nervous wreck, because control issues are big with her. Also, yes, she really does get locked in a torture chamber at one point in canon. Sierra, what are you even.]

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Well, it's been a week since the harpies were dealt with, and the barrier is back up again--or, well, a barrier is back up, at least, though I think it's not quite the same as the one we had before, somehow? Which is rather something to ponder over, really. We'd fixed the other barrier before, when it started to come down in pieces and we were all made to put it back up again, but that's a bit different than having the whole thing disappear completely and leaving us without one at all, and having to put a new one up in its place. It certainly was pretty when it all came together, though, wasn't it? All the lovely shifting lights in the night sky.

In any case, it's up now, and keeping the harpies out again, and yet there still isn't any ticking to speak of. I suppose that rules out the idea that the two of them were connected, the clock and the barrier, and that ruining one disrupted the other somehow. Still, even if they aren't connected, it's still curious that the ticking's gone silent, isn't it? If it wasn't the barrier falling that caused it to stop, then I wonder what it could be.

Yes, Cain, I know, I think too much about that clock. Though I suppose it's only fitting that it's driving me mad whether it ticks or not, isn't it?

Still, I'll try not to let it bother me for the moment. I have a few things to get done yet today, and some errands to run, and something to see to this evening, besides. And that's quite enough for right now, I should think.

[Filtered AWAY from Godchild Cast (Yes, Jez, That Means You Too) | Unhackable]

Though I do wonder--if it's not too much trouble, please, I'd like very much to speak with someone who's visited London, if you have a moment to spare. Edmund, Peter, you've been, haven't you?

[/Filter]

( Filtered to Iacho | Attempted Unhackable )


[OOC: TL;DR forever! She's not cursed today, but she's getting things done: getting stuff off her mind, going to Claire's birthday party, dropping off a box containing shiny pebbles, a shoe, and a pair of fuzzy bunny slippers for Iacho at the Deity Office, conducting a little super sekrit stealth research...good times!]

They do say history repeats itself, don't they?

This isn't the first time something has happened to the barrier. It was a little over a year ago, now, the first time I recall it happening; it was December, and Sam had been in the hospital, and the animals came off the carousel and started to lead the way out of the City. The barrier started coming down in bits and patches, and people saw all sorts of things through the holes--mostly visions of home, bu some people saw other things, too. Horrible things. And there was a man, one who claimed to be an architect, who arrived and said he'd done this to set us free and encouraged us to leave while we had the chance, but it turned out to all be a trick, and people who tried to escape only found themselves--trapped, instead.

And something happened to it just a few months ago, when we were all on that horrible train, didn't it? I remember looking out the windows and seeing things there, and there were monsters that jumped at the windows. Something went wrong with the Network devices then, too--they didn't seem to work properly while we were underground, and people had trouble calling out. And there was something wrong with the barrier then, too.

This isn't the first time harpies have come here, either, though I've never been here to see them myself. I've heard word of them, though. A cat, a harpy, and Adrastus all came to call a long time ago, and the clock stopped ticking then, too. I wonder if the barrier came down back then? There aren't many people around who would remember it, if it did; still, it'd be a useful thing to know, either way.

Adrastus has come several times, himself. I was expecting him this time of year last year, wasn't I? I always expect him when things like this happen. Last year we were waiting for an angel of death, and I thought he might be the one to come, and he did. I saw him, just for a minute, and gave him the lemon cake I'd saved for him. And then no angel ever came at all. That was this time of year, wasn't it? Which makes Spartacus a year old now, already.

The trouble always comes first, and then a stranger arrives. That architect, the shepherdess. Adrastus and his mother. We've had the harpies for two days now; if a stranger does arrive, it'll be soon. And they'll tell us we're all free to go, and we'll be left to decide, as always, if they're really telling the truth or if it's all just another trick to make us miserable and leave us as trapped as we were before.

The Carousel opens; that's how they got rid of the shepherdess last year. It opened into cogs and gears and they drove all the sheep into the hole it left behind, and the wool came back out of the mountain like an explosion. And the Carousel has something to do with the clock, and if the clock has something to do with the barrier, then the Carousel might be the way to find it. It's all tied together somehow, it has to be, and there must be a way to fix it all. The deities haven't spoken about it, and there's no telling if they will. They have before, but that doesn't mean they will again.

But what matters is staying safe until we figure out how to manage this. It seems as though the harpies are keeping their distance from the city proper today, doesn't it? There are more of them, one can see them flying about in clusters, but for some reason they aren't as quick to come swooping in as they were before. I'm not certain why that might be, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't take advantage of it while it lasts. So.

FOR ANYONE IN NEED OF REFUGE FOR THE DURATION:
Anyone is welcome to take shelter at the Warehouse for the time being. We're well stocked with provisions and have plenty of room for anyone in need of a safe place to stay in the midst of this chaos. If the Warehouse is too far to go, please feel free to call me and we'll find a way to bring you here safely; if it's still too much of a problem, I know we're not the only ones offering shelter in the midst of this, so there are plenty of options.

If there's one thing I've learned from history, it's that we all need to pull together in times like this. And if there's a second thing I've learned, it's that things always get better, if one can just hold out long enough to see it through.


[OOC: Yup, she's cursed today; her horoscope for the day is "Today is a reflection of the past, but that doesn’t mean you’re trapped in a loop. If you don’t like where you are, perform acts of kindness to improve your karmic balance. Things should pick up soon!". Hence the tl;dr. Enjoy this blast from the City's past? >>]

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[Failed Filter | Accidentally Viewable to Public]

PARTY
--Location

o) Gardens?
o) Palace?
o) Warehouse?

--Guest list
--Invitations

o) Out by Monday at latest

--Food

o) Dinner? No, that's too much for one little party
o) Snacks
o) θάνατος
o) Desserts?
o) Cake

--Music
--Decorations

o) "Crystal Ball"?
o) Find out about chocolate fountains
o) Fresh flowenslsossffffssssmmsss,usfsfosfff

[OOC: Hello, bad omens! The abrupt ending to this post (and failed filter) is because Rosella's poor skittish cat just jumped on her, which made her stylus drag across her device's screen--which the device promptly translated into a jumble of letters. And due to the fact that she'll be nursing a scratched hand for the next few moments, she won't realize right off that her filter failed--or that she unconsciously added "death" in Arabic and Greek to her lists.]

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...That's odd, how did that get there? And it doesn't seem to want to come down, at any rate, so I suppose it will have to stay. It's a bit odd to think of a cat dancing, isn't it? And especially so when his partner has turned herself invisible; one would think she'd want to be the center of attention if she could help it, and show off her lovely dress for all to see. Though perhaps she's invisible because she's shy, or was made to feel ashamed of the dress she had, like Cinderella. Poor dear, I'm sure it was very lovely. After all, fur never does go out of fashion, does it?

Well, in any case, it seems I'm not the only one with dancing on my mind, if these cats are any indication. And how could anyone not, with a ball like Tamaki's on the horizon? And I must admit, I'm quite excited about the theme--I like all the parties we have here, of course, but the formal balls are really my favorites. They feel the most like home, and it's always such fun to see all the lovely ladies in dresses and their dapper partners dancing the night away.

And speaking of dancing, is it true that most people in modern times never learn how to waltz properly? Really, it's such a shame to hear. But there's still a few weeks until the ball, and that's certainly more than enough time for lessons, if anyone should like to learn how. After all, "practice every day has made / Pangur perfect in his trade", as the rhyme goes. And I'm sure there are enough of us around who do know how to dance, that we ought to be able to offer lessons for anyone interested in learning.


[OOC: She's in ur City makin ur lolcats relevant. Link is OOC and there for player reference, but she's definitely advertising for the ball--and yes, she's serious about offering dancing lessons for anyone who wants to learn how. After all, the more people dancing, the merrier! And if anybody else wants to get in on helping teach, feel free to chat Rosella up about it; she'd be more than pleased for the help. ♥]

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There's a story in one of my favorite fairy tale collections about a little princess with six brothers, all of them older than she. And of course, as fairy tales usually go, there's a wicked stepmother--and one who is a witch at that--who grows jealous of her husband's love for his children, so she decides to curse them all by turning them into swans. And she manages to do it, almost, except that she happens to miss the little princess with her curse. So the brothers turn into swans and fly away, and the princess is left alone and distraught with all her family taken away from her. But the princess resolves to chase after her brothers, so she runs after them as they fly away, and follows them for days and days.

One night, as she stops to rest, the six swans fly down and transform back into her brothers for a short spell, and tell her the nature of the curse they're under. They're condemned to live as swans for all but a quarter of an hour of each day, and the only way to break the spell is if someone vows to go for six years without ever smiling, or laughing, or speaking a single word, and to sew them each a shirt of thistles in the meantime. And if she slipped even once, then the curse would set, and it could never be broken again.

On my first anniversary here, I remember thinking about that story. I'd seen so many wonderful and terrible things in that one year of life in the City, and the princess in the tale went for six times that, never speaking a word, for the sake of the people she loved. It's really rather extraordinary, isn't it? The things we can do when we know someone is counting on us to succeed.

She managed quite a lot, that little princess, and on less hope than many of us have here.

It's certainly something to think about, isn't it?