Username: Verdana
Favourite type of RPs: I go through phases. I'll roleplay anything, but at the moment I love humanoid roleplays.
Sample of writing:
[Don't judge me; this is what happens when I have an hour or so to sit and respond, and it's from a roleplay that's been going for years.]
//The First of Two Warnings//
From her tower, up above the world, the Empress looked out over the palace grounds. It was a sunny, bright summer's day, and the plants shone with vitality. With a small sigh, the woman leaned her elbows on the windowledge, peering at the colourful, peaceful bustle beneath her. She smiled wearily as she scanned over her world. All seemed commonplace. However, her eyes were drawn to a secluded patch of lawn in the Flower Gardens. A little, dark head bobbed through the flowerbeds, which was very much Forbidden. The ruler's eyes searched the grounds, until she found the much-expected shadow hugging a wall. Of course. He would not have let her go down alone. Suddenly, she tired of the tedium of her busy world. She decided, with a wave of her hand, that she'd much rather get some fresh air instead.
On deft feet, she slipped down the tower stairs. She managed to creep into the garden without a fuss (which took quite some skill those days) and slide up beside the shadowy young man. She had always been skilled at being unseen, but the young guard, whose face was old with experience, was far too intent on the spinning, laughing little girl who was getting her new dress all muddy to be interested in anything around him. The Empress felt a twinge of discomfort. His focus on his job was admirable, but, standing right here beside him, she could easily slip a knife between his ribs. She would teach the man a lesson, she decided.
With humour in her voice, she murmured,
And it was such a nice dress, too. She looked at it, slightly mournfully. Shaygrin got prettier and prettier every day. At five years old ('Five and a half!' Shay always yelped in protest) the girl's hair was starting to lose its downy look and was becoming sleek and shiny. She was becoming leggy and lean in a way her sister never had. She was not regal, but she would be. Unfortunately, at the moment, the young princess was opposed to anything remotely dignified. Hence her very tattered once-blue-silk dress.
At the sound of the Empress's voice, the guard who was Vladdamir tensed. He did not jump (this would have been far too undignified) but she had caught him by surprise. He did not take his eyes off of the girl, who was now investigating the flowers.
She has a penchant for trouble, he murmured in response. This, the Empress knew, was quite true. Her daughter seemed attracted to all sorts of calamity, be it spilt milk or grazed knees. Or, the Empress thought, torn clothing.
Well, that's why you're here, she affirmed. Vlad inclined his head, just once. They met each other's eyes. The Empress saw a flicker there, but she didn't have time to identify it. The guard turned back to the little girl, and his eyes widened in dismay. The Empress turned too, and caught her breath.
No, Shaygrin! Don't!Dasker-Flies are pesky little cretins. A creature similar to a wasp, it has brightly-coloured, pigment-shifting wing-cases and the ability to fan said cases around itself, concealing its ugly, segmented body. Nestling in a bush, it uses these cases as camouflage. Shifting itself to look like a bloom, it lies in wait for its prey, which are the big-eyed, nectar-suckling Brangers.
Dasker-Flies are aggressive, quick-striking hunters. They are also very, very venomous. So when a pink, childish hand looms towards them, there is really only one thing for them to do.
A squeal of surprise fractured the peace of the gardens, and a howl of pain shattered it. The Empress took off running, faster than she thought possible. Not, however, as fast as Vlad was. Before she was halfway across the lawn, he was kneeling beside her wailing offspring. As she ran, the wails started to peter out. Her heart grew stony. The venom was already taking effect. She'd be paralysed in a heartbeat, and then...
Hand, she heard the guard command. Shaygrin proffered her little mitt, which was starting to swell. As she watched, the guard leaned down and pressed his lips to the wound. The Empress stared at this picture, aghast. Something about the poses brought to mind a child marriage, or an elder courtier trying to court her little girl. Something twisted inside her. Something nameless.
The vampyre's lips, his dead lips, traced her daughter's skin. He turned his head, spitting onto the ground. Her blood lined his mouth. Again he sucked at the wound. Little Shaygrin stood, perfectly still, perfectly trusting. The Empress stroked her daughter's head and crooned, knowing that she was doing nothing to help and hating it. After a while, the man withdrew.
There, he murmured to himself, riffling around in his pockets. He pulled out a spotless handkerchief and a glass vial. The clear liquid inside the latter was dripped onto the former, and he wiped the little girl's hand off. Her whimpers became sniffles, which faded away altogether. The whole routine, the Empress noted with sickening dread, had the feeling of... Routine. When he had cleaned the wound, Vladdamir patted the girl's hand. Shaygrin gave him a look. The three were silent. Vaguely conscious that something was different, Shaygrin sought to make amends. She leaned forward, and hugged her guard.
This was not the right move to make.
Go to the nurse now, Shaygrin, the Empress whispered, knowing as she watched her daughter run off that she would never, ever willingly enter the nurse's office. However, her leaving served its purpose, whatever her destination might have been. The Empress, full of motherly fear and revulsion, turned on the vampyre.
What was that?If the man was abashed, he didn't show it. He was also wise enough not to circumnavigate the truth.
It's happened before. Twice.The Empress scowled.
You are her guard. You are not her friend. You will not talk to her, you will not comfort her. You will not, will not grow attached to her. Do I make myself quite clear? I will not warn you again.The Empress was wrong. She would warn him once more.
There would not, however, be a third warning. By then it would be far too late.
//Shaygrin Rescued//
I'm cold, and I hurt. But, you know what? This is nothing new to me. These days, I always seem to be in some form of discomfort. In fact, I should count myself lucky that it isn't a lot worse. I lean into Vlad's back, smelling his very lively scent of sweat and spice and boy on the brink of manhood. No, it could be a lot worse. The horse thunders over the snowy terrain. I don't wonder about its balance. I don't want to think about that. The sides of my head grow cold. That I do speculate on. I think of many theories about that. Anything to take my mind off of the chaos that undoubtably awaits us. As we near the palace, I hear it. Screams. Gnashing teeth and scything claws. We are entering a battlefield.
I wonder where my armour went.
Off the horse and onto the cold-hard ground. I jolt at the pressure under my bare feet (never got round to putting on shoes) and I stumble after Vlad. Not for long. He turns, and notices my ankle. I look at it with quiet detachment. I'd have thought that the cold would have frozen the edges quite nicely. Apparently not. I look back at Vlad, feeling almosy as if I should be reacting more enthusiastically. I let him lead me somewhere safe, and sit in the straw, dazed and shivering, as he hurries away. I must say, it's rather sweet, the way he gets all concerned about me. If it were the older Vlad, he wouldn't even bat an eyelid. In fact, he'd make me heal it myself. I look down at the wound. It's not too bad. I should fix it. But... If I did, Vlad'd be terribly disappointed. I kind of like having him fuss over me. So I let it ooze into the straw.
He hurries in soon after this, holding some yellow thread and a needle. Instantly, my eyes darken with distrust. Never liked needles. And to hear that he wants to stick one into me? Not too thrilled. He offers an arm, and I reluctantly close my mouth around it. Just to make him happy. I don't really need any-Yeowohbythebladeowww! I barely stop myself shrieking the building down. I clamp my teeth hard around his arm. Life returns to my body as hot pain soars through my side, all the way up to my elbow. Vlad's blood fills my mouth. I keep biting. Makeitstopmakeitstop, I think, over and over. Who am I kidding? I'm no warrior. This is unbearable. Make. It. Stop.
It does stop, though not nearly soon enough for my liking. He strokes my hair away. I am sweating. He speaks to me, and I just nod, not trusting myself to open my mouth. We get up, and our journey continues. I look down at my ankle, with its bright yellow threading. It makes me smile. Not smiling for long. Someone yells. Vlad identifies it. And, as usual, we're off and running. As I am dragged along behind the anxious young man, I ponder the fact that we never seem to just walk anywhere. Can't we just, I don't know, stroll? Strolling's awfully nice. Much nicer than running. Besides, I think churlishly, if he's screaming like that, he's already dead. I regret the thought instantly. I liked Gabriel. Like him. He's not dead yet.
There's a madness of chasing and being chased. First we're chasing a voice, then a hound is chasing us. My mind can't keep up. I pant as we twist and turn and dash. Dead end. Of course. We could always flit. Though, I confess that I am scared to do so by myself. Especially with a passenger. I still lack an ear. I get pulled inside a cupboard. One day, I decide, I'll do the pulling. We stand in the cupboard, awaiting death. For some reason, Vladdy is worrying about my clothes. This strikes me as quite funny. We're about to be eaten, and he's scared I'm going to catch a chill. Really? Or... Is this something else? Maybe I should... My loins stir. Ah, what the hell? I've always kind of wanted this. I strip down, and look at Vlad the way he's looking at me. Admiringly. Hungrily. You know, death... It seems rather insignificant now. Vlad clutches me to him. His hot human flesh is against mine. I kiss him, I feel my hands over his smooth flesh. I... I...
I am interrupted in my passion by a hound's muzzle. I ignore it. I'm in the middle of something important right here. It's only when the hound becomes Gabriel that I am surprised enough to break away. In fact, I'm not. I had a feeling. Vlad is, though. I let him go, regretfully. I can still taste him on my lips. The two banter. I shrug off Gabriel's apology. It all turned out okay in the end, after all. At least I'm not still with the ghastly king. A sore ankle seems fair compensation. Now... I pull on Vlad's shirt, and am grasping his breeches when everything goes wrong. He's hurt. Something's wrong. I yell in anguish and kneel beside him. No! What happened? Everything was going so well! I grasp his fingers. I am too busy listening to Vlad to hear Gabriel.
I know, I whisper back to him.
I'll see you soon. This may or may not be true for both of us. Then I register Gabriel. He's giving me coordinates. I absorb them. I picture them. I flit...
I arrive in Panem with my usual aplomb. I seem unable to make an entrance in a nondescript way. I appear a few feet off of the ground, and tumble, my legs entwined in Vlad's loose breeches. I wish I could say that they were on my legs. Note to self: Do not try and get changed while flitting. I lie, face-down in the dirt. I feel a cold breeze on my rear end. As the last of the snow melts off of my face, my cheeks redden. Oops. Hope nobody's watching this. I sit up, and pull the trousers on. Looks pretty good. Nobody's he... And then I turn, doing up the top button of legware far too loose and of the definitive wrong shape for my body, to see... Him.
I stare. He looks so much older. So much more dignified. His face is worn, but beautiful. I hadn't realised how much I'd missed him. I take a step towards him. Almost immediately, the breeches pool around my ankles. Pulling them up, I start to run. They tangle and trip me, so I end up leaping the last few feet. I meet him at waist-height, and grab him with no intention of letting go. The offending trousers drop, but I don't care. I sniff him, his parchment smell. It takes me a moment to pull myself together. I stand up, pulling my pants back on with as much dignity as I can muster. I look him up and down. I reach out tenderly...
And grab his face with vice-like fingers.
What were you thinking, stitching me up like that? I yell, feeling his cheekbones in my grip.
It's bloody taken years off of my life! Did you have no brain back then? None at all? Well, obviously you didn't. Letting me sneak into the palace... The king almost sodomised me, I'll have you know! And no thanks to you! Where were you when I was being practically felt-up by a raving-mad, lustful monarch? Hmm? Well? I dig my fingers hard into his cheeks, and then let go. I stare at him for a moment, before pulling his face dowm to me, far more tenderly this time. I let my lips meet his.
I missed this you. I whisper into his mouth, continuing a kiss with the same but different man.
I pull away. The trousers... They've fallen off again. Suddenly, it's all too much. I pull them up once more, and then sit down hard on the ground. I start to laugh, peals and peals of hysterical, wild laughter that seem neverending.
Any semi-lit or lit RPs you have:
The Wren I was hoping for people more on the 'lit' side of semi-lit, but it's fun anyway.