the water is dyed a deep blue, would you like to surf?
the room was filled with several other dolls, of all unique shapes and sizes. some seemed frightened, others calm and casual. it was easy to pick out who was new and which were old residents. as you tried to move through the crowd, you overhear a conversation amongst two dolls that are planning a trip to the beach. that is, if they can find a door that leads to one. intrigued, you begin your own hunt to look for such a door, with your shadow in tow. it seems like hours have passed, but at last you manage to find one. slightly nervous, you slowly turn the door knob, and step inside.
the first thing you feel is a slight gust of ocean breeze hit your face. it's night, but the sky is illuminated with thousands of stars. the sand feels cool between your toes, and you can taste the sea salt. gosh, you could probably stay here for the rest of time.
now, now, let's not get ahead of ourselves, you tell yourself.
just a quick walk for now, i can always come back later. you begin to walk on the starlit beach, your eyes glued to the night sky, but it's not long before you bump into someone else. the other doll gives out a small squeak and you instinctively back away, blinking to get a better view of whom you head on collided with.
the other doll seems rather frightened by your sudden presence, so you decide one of your typical sarcastic and blunt responses probably wouldn't do well to help with this first impression. instead, you smile at her, introduce yourself, and explain you had just come across the dollhouse and wanted to check out the beach.
at this, the doll's eyes widen a bit, and she starts to laugh. "wanted to check out the beach first, huh..." she says while trying to stifle her giggles. "i guess great minds think alike." she smiles back at you, and then holds out her hand. "well then, how about we enjoy the view together? i heard everything becomes prettier when you have company."
you almost laugh at the fact she forgot to introduce herself. what a weird girl. but she seemed interesting enough, so why not? you shake her hand, give a polite bow, and begin walking.
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art (c) iiktome
hi there! im hiyorin, and i think this is my first time trying out for a dollhouse adopt *o*
-----------------------------------------『 name: riko
-----------------------------------------gender: female
---------------------------------shadows name: maru the crab! 』
---------------------art (c) Missingheart
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-personality: riko is mostly seen as being cool and collected, and gives off a very relaxed air. she remains calm during stressful situations and is always willing to lend a hand.
in reality, she's a very simple minded girl, and tends to act rashly. she sometimes overthink things and gets stressed over small matters, but maru is always there to help her out in situations she'd otherwise worry way too much about.
though she is one to start conversations with any passerbys and insert herself into groups, she also has those days where she'll just sit in silence, lost in countless thoughts.
overall, she is a very bright girl and tries to enjoy the simple things in life. one of her sayings that she's known for telling close friends is her smile theory, that "if you smile, good things will happen to you!".
----------------------------------------art (c) biribiri
the past: riko was given to a young girl living in the countryside as a birthday gift from her parents. every single day, from the crack of dawn till sundown, the girl would be up and about helping with chores around the house with riko in tow. whenever she had moments to spare, which was not that frequent, she'd take her doll with her to her secret tree fort her father had helped her build, and tell riko about her plans for the future. one such dream was to visit the sandy beaches, a place she has seen pictures and heard about her whole life, but lived too far away from.
as years went by, the girl's mother suggested she save up for her dream to become reality, which she gladly took on. any spare money she received from helping out in her parents shop, lemonade and bake sales she hosted with the neighborhood children, monthly allowances for doing household chores and getting good grades, she put most of it in the sparkly jar laying on her nightstand.
fast forward several years to the day the girl finally leaves home. as an aspiring fashion designer, she has found a well known school in the city that will help her reach her goal. she was told to only pack the necessities, but after spending her entire childhood with riko at her side, she couldn't bear to leave her at her parents' house, and instead fit her snugly inside her suitcase.
the city was unlike anything the girl had imagined, but she enjoyed every aspect of it. the bustling streets, the unison of sounds, and all the people. it didn't take long for her to befriend many of the other students at her school. but she told no one of the doll tucked underneath her pillow, and only took riko out when she was alone.
after the first year had ended, the girl and her growing group of friends planned an overnight trip to visit the white sandy beaches just down the coast. finally, the day where she'd get to feel the sand and swim in the ocean water would finally come. as she counted down the days until the trip, she would talk excitedly with her doll like in the old days. trying to contain her excitement, she also designed riko a swimsuit that matched closely to the one she bought specially for the trip.
on the day of, the girl woke up at sunrise and gathered with her schoolmates for the drive to the airport. while the flight down was not long, the girl couldn't help but feel impatient. they arrived at their rental home a couple of hours later, and quickly put away their suitcases and cases so they could get into the water.
however, while the girl was in the bathroom getting changed, one of the other students went around looking in others bags for an extra bottle of sunscreen. instead she found riko, and immediately took her out and showed everyone else her discovery. when the girl came back, everyone laughed, teasing, "aren't you just a little too
old for that kind of stuff?" red in the face, the girl explained that she had spent almost her whole life with her doll, but no one gave her explanation any thought. and though the girl loved riko with all her heart, she didn't want to lose her friends over such a silly matter. with encouragement from her friends, the girl left riko on the beach, engulfed with sand; it was a symbol of the precious relationship between girl and doll that had finally come to an end.
that night was the longest and loneliest that she ever had to endure, but it was ultimately what brought her to meet and begin her everlasting friendship with maru.
art (c) biribiri
when riko first arrived at the dollhouse, she tugged maru along to help her find a door that led to a beach. when she finally found one, she was amazed at the scenery it beheld and visiting this very door has become a daily activity of hers. although by this time she has explored several other worlds and dimensions within the dollhouse, her feet always bring her back to the calming ocean waves.
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thank you for reading my form! i'd especially like to thank my closest friends, iiktome, biribiri, and missingheart for not only helping me with my form but for also cheering me on every step of the way! you guys are the reason i was able to put more than just my 100% into all that i did for this contest <3 
