meme || tale as old as time

[constellates]

fairy tale au meme welcome ; one. come up with an au for your character of choice and leave a top-level. royalty, paupers, villains, enchanters and enchanted all welcome! two. tag a friend and come up with a vague storyline and pre-existing cr if you so choose three. pick a prompt and let your story unfold! prompts ; one ♫ once upon a time... do you believe in love at first sight or do you need to walk by again? how does it happen? in a small provincial town, in a land far far away, in a castle's quarters? what does a normal day look like? are you taking care of the horses in a stable when one runs off or do you have an urgent message for the king? is there where a curse is woven or even when one is lifted? what does happen to the frog prince after he gets his legs back? every storybook needs a beginning. two ♫ a winter's ball... or a summer's ball! or a spring's ball! really, there always seems to be a good enough reason for a ball, don't you think? the violins are gently playing, the floor is filled with delight partygoers, and the chandeliers shine bright above you. the classical magic is in there air. are you the royal putting on the ball? a pauper invited and waiting for your chance to meet the monarch in charge? or are you more preoccupied with scavenging what's left of the dessert table? oh these people don't know what they've got until it's gone! three ♫ true love's kiss... or if you'd rather, true love's first hand holding, true love's first admittance, or even the confession? but there can be no confession without a proper setting. is it festival day? is it time for all the lanterns to fill the sky? where's the sweet acoustics and flowers blossoming? don't be afraid to take this step. four ♫ daring swordfights... there has to be something else in there that manages to get your heart pounding. where have your adventures taken you? at the very top of a castle, swords drawn against each other? on a pirate ship with nowhere but the ocean to run? in a chase across the tops of tiled rooftops as you chase after a treasure you've been looking for? are you facing down the stare of an angry dragon, who may or may not be your cursed friend? either way, welcome to the action scene option. en garde!

Comments

Anastasia | Idolm@ster: Cinderella Girls

[constellates]

[ who would i be if i didn't put up my cinderella girl, cries a lot but anya can be:

a ) a princess of the captured in a locked away tower variety?? she probably befriended the dragon or tiger or whatever that was guarding her away and just couldn't bring herself to leave. someone please convince her to get out? or we can do general shenanigans of her trying to figure out life outside a tower because she's probably never seen half of it before

b) a knight please consider terribly forward anya not understanding courtly love with me? she comes from a foreign land so she doesn't have all the words to express her feelings so she's just direct. they can go on faraway journeys together as she also fails to understand boundaries between her and whichever royal she's guarding

c ) wildcard! we can always hash other things out! i'm also down for a swan lake kinda situation because that also sounds fun?? LET'S GO, i'm ready! ]

[tousei]

[ how about: the knight to rescue her is actually a dragon/tree (pick one, or let's have both)

or anything else you wanna do!! also this is eon ]

a; absolutely dragon friends

[biri]

[It's weird; usually she just kidnaps a human princess to eat them then goes on her merry way, but this one is different? This one is so nice to her...it's actually hard to imagine eating her, and that's a fairly unusual thought for Kanna, who will quite literally eat anything. Her appetite amongst dragons is the greatest.

At the moment, her "lair" is just what remains of a human village. A lot of houses have been crushed to make room for herself to get around, but some buildings are intact, and she managed to find one in particular that isn't in very bad shape. It'll keep her princess sheltered and warm, so that's all that matters. She also had no problem picking up anything Anya may have needed; say, a real bed, or any other furnishings. It's probably not a half bad little home now.

But while Anya was asleep, the dragon reflected very carefully on everything she'd been feeling lately, eventually coming to a decision on how to handle this.

So she stops beside Anya's makeshift home and leans down to peek in the window of her bedroom.]

Are you awake?

i need knight anya in my life

[goen]

[ Once upon a time, there was a faraway kingdom. It was a wealthy kingdom with a strong and beloved king... because the king culled all of his dissenters. But look everyone left was pretty happy. All the same, no king is without his enemies, so a spurned witch spirited away the king's only son and locked him in a castle.

Then put a moat around the castle and filled it with hippos and crocodiles.

Then put an evil forest around the moat filled with ghosts and mystical creatures and bees.

Also there's a vicious man-eating dragon in the castle.

To this day, the prince waits in his room for his rescuer. He is a handsome if eccentric prince, liked by his people in the way that cats are liked when they jump for high ledges, only to miss and destroy all surrounding glassware in the fall.

He gazes out a window boredly and wonders how he'll entertain himself today... ]

A!

[horsepoop]

[HERE HE IS, the bittiest bodyguard. Anya could probably take him, to be honest, given how small and slender he seems to be--but she's probably smart enough to know that appearances can be deceiving.

Even his friendliness could be considered deceptive, really. To be so kind to a prisoner, one he's responsible for keeping trapped here--someone could easily interpret it as cruelty or manipulation.

That someone would be wrong, though. In this case, Namazuo's kindness and cheer are completely genuine. There's truly nothing false about his smile, other than the fact that he's the one keeping her here.

...Okay, so maybe that's a big factor, but. Still.]

Your Highness? [He knocks courteously before he unlocks the door, and enters; there's no need to be rude to her, after all.]

Baren Kumou | Rengoku ni Warau

[crudest]

[ now for something completely different

a ) sorcerer without a cause WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE he's probably looking for his long lost twin who got captured because they pissed off the wrong king, but magic nonsense with Baren sounds like fun?? he probably put a curse upon your house

b ) who could love a beast OR THE CLASSIC BEAUTY AND THE BEAST where baren absolutely turned especially jaded after losing his twin sister or something and was too much of a peacock that he made the wrong enchantress angry. please kick his ass.

c ) wildcard! same as above, I'm so flexible and I'll be down to plot anything! ]

[despirit]

[it's night. of course it is, he only ever shows up at night like a bizarre thorn in his side. and Nikkari never said he was following the man, he only kept appearing in the same locations, talking, never losing that smile. it's rude to some, creepy to others, and that Baren hasn't tried to kill him yet is a miracle.

but this is the only sort of chance he's going to get for a long while, and hell, if it doesn't work out, it's better than skulking around somewhere foggy and praying that the sun doesn't touch him. he's waiting for the moment when Baren will call him on the lie about being bored and following him for that - if he wanted the man dead, he'd have made an attempt by now - but he hopes it's not too soon. there's a while yet that he can lie about not being hungry or being fine,.

tonight is like others have been, except that for a bit he's walked off to practice his sword forms. he can't bear to grow rusty at them, and he's already feeling the effects of taking some time off. and when a rock threatens to trip him, he kicks it away.

in the direction of Baren.

hopefully it hits nothing.]

[liegeman]

[ ok but like.

baren puts a curse on house kagero, a group of renowned ninja loyal to the king that baren decided to piss off; only the men are affected (something stupid like they lose their balls or something, become sterile, idk) so kagero takes matters into her own hands and tracks down baren.

we could do the ball thing where she goes undercover w/ the goal to assassinate him but then suffers from the Oh No He's Attractive (tm) syndrome and they end up making out instead.

y/n/ame wtf??? ]

[sharplydressed]

[you say beauty and the beast but i just say THE BEAST...

ie immortal cursed shitheel baren + human kashuu with tuberculosis y/y/death??]

lmk if you want something different I'm just rolling with this!!

[doublesmall]

[sorcerers need a good familiar, don't they? sure they do. maybe he was called, maybe he just showed up thanks to some only vaguely explained sort of bond-- whatever got him here, he's firmly stuck now, because they need someone just as much as they're needed in turn. could be some kind of curse, could just be what he is by nature.

sucks that this is who he got though, that in itself is kind of a curse tbh

not like chuuya is much better, though. being a power source can be very exhausting, and he's currently draped facedown on the bed or whatever other comfy piece of furniture happens to be close at hand.]

No. I'm done. That's all you get today, I'm tired.

[is he actually spent or is he being difficult because he wants something: the eternal question. though baren can probably tell when he's actually running low by now, really.]

[despirit]

[also option 2 because i'm just like that i guess

he never sleeps in. never stays longer than the hour before sunrise, when the world's still dark. he runs away somewhere for safety, concealing himself out of sight or managing to be on the move while staying away from any eyes. except today, he misjudges. summer's always harder, with the earlier sunrise. he forgets to find a way to wake himself, lost in some haphazard dream that he won't remember later.

the sunlight comes in slowly, which is perhaps the worst part. a false sense of security, until the rays come to touch his face, at which point it's far too late. where there was a man, there is a twisted skeletal beast with its tail curled around it, sleeping where Nikkari had been. so far, it's docile, the rays of the sun illuminating it, and the thing that is Nikkari is unaware.

don't mind your new visitor, Baren. he's fine with a capital F.]

Chiaki Morisawa | Ensemble Stars!

[sundays]

[ AND FINALLY

a ) the red knight embarrassing... but also he would fit this perfectly. let him be that classic cliche knight who's terribly enamored with the prince(ss) and can't figure out his feelings and just trips over himself? but is weirdly capable once you put him in a battle situation....

b ) the sunshine prince alternatively, let him be the royal who's trying to figure out how to best lead the land?! he could be in disguise trying to get to the village and his partner will either be his best friend fellow royal trying to stop him, or some villager who has to teach chiaki not to be so obnoxious in the middle of the street?!

c ) wildcard! SAME AS THE OTHERS

let me steal your heart, prince(ss)! ☆ ]

b

[kayssistant]

[In disguise, eh?

That means Kay doesn't recognize him at all when she sneaks up on him to try and pick his pockets, being the ~lovable rogue~ she is.]

b

[unoradinary]

[Ranmaru Rindou is the daughter of the local blacksmith, not really trying to follow in his footsteps. She's instead training to become the strongest fighter in the whole kingdom; renowned for her strength, centered around rumours she once took down an entire cadre of knights in full armour all by herself, despite her chosen attire being simple loose fitting pants that allowed for freedom of movement, and a sarashi to bind her chest. Their blades did them little good against her bare fists. Some think she isn't even human.

But the truth is she's just really damn dedicated.

And now, she's found herself accompanying this clueless guy around the village. She doesn't know she's hanging around with a literal prince, but he seems...lost. And she's a bleeding heart. She couldn't just let him wander around by himself.

Because oh look, he's about to get knocked over by a horse trying to pass through, and he's only saved by her reaching out to grab him by his clothing and lift him out of the way. She does it with such ease you'd think he was made of styrofoam or something.]

Geez! What's with you man? You can't just stand in the middle of the road like that, you're gonna get hurt.

Miles Edgeworth | Ace Attorney

[attorneyatlogic]

[I caved, so pick your poison:

A: KING

He rules fairly and justly, and is especially active in helping the magistrates with particularly difficult cases and decisions. Very much the model scholar, keeps his own vast personal library, and enjoys collecting scrolls and writings from different ages and lands. Few people know he's actually very good with a sword. More people know he's terrible with magic. Loves playing chess.

If he has kidlets of the princess/prince variety, he can be very strict especially when it comes to other royals wanting to win their hands in marriage. Also wants them to grow up to be PROPER LADIES AND GENTLEMEN but really, he loves them.

B: SCHOLAR/MAGE

The Wise Old Man only he's not really that old - it's the gray hair, isn't it? Always eager to learn, offers very good advice (except when it comes to romance HAHAHA), is someone you should have on your side when you're solving riddles, and not one to cross or else he'll freeze you on the spot with his glare. Literally.

C: KNIGHT

IDK probably one of the best knights, a justice freak, always looking to save anyone in trouble but surprisingly, tries to solve problems without his sword before actually resorting to combat.

May be immune to romance, oops. Maybe.

OR JUST HIT ME UP WITH A PROMPT YOU WANT]

A! rip edgeworth

[luxoraculi]

[ Lunafreya is not at all pleased to be at this silly ball. She's got things to be doing right now, after all, things that most certainly do not require her presence here. She'd tried to remind her elder brother that her place was amongst the people, and he had reminded her that her role as Princess required that she attend these social events. She used to enjoy these things when she was younger, but now that she's an adult with responsibilities she just doesn't see the point.

She's been quietly wandering the ballroom for the most part, politely declining any and all requests for a dance or two, when she happens upon someone who does not at all look pleased to be there either. Finally, a kindred spirit! Sidling up next to the poor man, the princess casually clasps her hands together in front of herself, deciding to speak up. ]

Good evening. I see that you, too, are enjoying your time here. [ She's... not being serious, of course, and she hopes that he can tell by the light tone of her voice and the expression on her face. She knows who he is -- a powerful and wise king from a foreign land, whom she knows is just here for political reasons. ]

Forgive me, though. I am being rude. [ He probably already knows who she is, too, considering her elder brother is also a King. But she offers him a polite bow none the less, because it's the right thing to do. ] Pleased to meet you, your Majesty. I am Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, Princess and Oracle of the kingdom of Tenebrae.

milly ashford | code geass: lelouch of the rebellion

[shesgotguts]

[i am bringing u ~*~*~options~*~*~

i. empress

this is not a particularly happy option, as it could've happened. she's married to the emperor (named lelouch vi britannia, surprise), and she may or may not keep his knight, suzaku kururugi, in her quarters as often as possible. the world is full of dangers, some of which she's married to, and very little magic is in their world. but lelouch is still in possession of some of it.

they may or may not have children, and if they do, some of them look like the emperor, and some of them... don't. of course, she dotes on all of them, and loves them, and is a good mother when her title allows her the time. but she must keep up the appearances of a fair ruler, and must always be prepared for anything and everything, may it be social gatherings, or battles.

ii. princess

the heir to the kingdom of cascadia, may or may not have younger siblings. she was blessed as a child, given the gifts of beauty, charm, and wit. or perhaps she gained those throughout the years. she is a radiant beauty, with golden hair and eyes the colour of the open ocean, and a laugh as clear as a summer sky. mischievous, clever, kind, and always avoiding the suitors that come to call, camilla is a wild princess. she will swordfight with her tutors, jump on horseback to avoid the visiting princes, escape into town to live a normal life for a day.

iii. peasant

she's a dreamy one, but works hard to help her grandparents build clocks. her parents have moved to the town closer to the palace, but she has stayed in a smaller town, where she was born and raised, and everyone knows each other. it's not thrilling, but she's afraid to follow her mom and dad to the unknown. besides, she's happy in that village. still, she wonders what it might be like to be a princess, a knight, a sorceress. one day, she'll test herself, but not today.

the hope is that one day, she'll be whisked away, thanks to a shoe, or a rose, or a sleeping spell. but until then, it's working on clocks.

iv. enchantress

as old as the kingdom itself, she was a young woman when she was blessed with the gift of magic, but cursed with the gift of agelessness and immortality. it has been an awfully lonely life, but she has had time to hone her skills. she's a powerful ally to have, even though she doesn't meddle with political affairs anymore. she shapeshifts and causes trouble wherever she may go, and should someone ask for a spell or a wish to be granted, it would be wise to word it just the right way. who knows what she'll give if you don't. she's riddles and wordplay, and sometimes malice, but she can tell what someone's intent is, and fair young women with kind hearts usually escape unscathed from her.

i'm really into the beauty and the beast trope, so any and all of that would be great, but i also love the little mermaid, aladdin, cinderella, all your standard princess fare. if you pick the empress option, i might hit you with themeasureofgreatness, but i'm excited for all of them. all prompts are good for me too!]

ii

[minmoetaur]

[Truth be told, he had no intention of hurting anyone...not really. Her carriage and its accompanying knights just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and a squad of soldiers trained to defend their princess can't be blamed for being alarmed by his presence. Eight foot tall, horns and wild white mane give him the apprance of some great beast, not to mention the iron mask attached to his face - he makes for an intimidating figure.

And as they came at him with their swords he'd no choice but to defend himself, and he's not gentle in his retaliation. As most of them came out with broken limbs, likely beyond repair, they'll likely never take up a sword again after having dealt with Asterios.

But then that leaves the woman in the carriage, alone and without protection...so while it might not be his best idea he's ever had, he decides to do what he thinks is Right and kidnaps her, essentially. He just reaches into the carriage, picks her up and escapes the scene into the dead of night. The journey brings her all the way to an abandoned mansion in the woods; it was hard to see what direction they were going, really, considering the time of day and the thick, forested area they'd traveled through, so trying to escape by herself might not be the best idea. But as he leans into the building through the doorway, clearly not made with someone of his size in mind, the sight of the worn down walls, broken decorations and weathered paintings of men and women, sometimes together, sometimes alone and sometimes with children, all tell a story of some kind...the rest is left to the imagination.

Once they get to what appeared to once be a dining room, he tosses her onto the floor...it isn't a soft landing, as the floors are wood - likely once polished to a mirror sheen, compared to their dirtied and worn appearance they now have - but tosses her with all the care he can muster, so it won't hurt much beyond the initial impact..]

Vietnam | Hetalia

[hoasen]

[Her human name is Sen Linh Đoàn for purposes of all these AUs!

A: a lady of common blood! Raised by merchants, and then later adopted by a noble and rich family, Sen has merged the two together to become an extremely wealthy business woman of "noble" blood. Her claims to the seat are still under question due to her origins, but she fears no thang, nor does it trouble her in the end, as long as her future is secure--...wait what kind of fairy tale princess is this?! Or maybe she's the prince ;)

B: knight! since she is a vassal type, in a way, with a strong spirit! Most underestimate her because of her small stature and delicate looks, but she looks after her employer more than anything! In fact, she might treat them a bit too well, by helping cook their food, repair their clothes, keep their room clean...huh?! Is she a knight or a butler?

C: faerie. A long long time ago, there was a legend that said a dragon king from the seas and a faerie queen of the mountains got together and married, and their children were the first people of the land. It may not be true, but there really are faeries, and one of them goes around the streets selling enchanted silks. Perhaps if you pay her enough (or befriend her enough), she will grant you a wish. Or go on a quest with you.

D: wildcard! Obvs.]

whichever u want

[tousei]

[ So this weird old (?) woman hired viet to be the bodyguard for her son but didn't specify who her son was... so viet has to go meet her son. They're in a sort of glade with nice anime sunlight shining from above... and there's a guy reading underneath it in semi-formal royal clothes.

Well, he's the only guy here, so?? Probably him?

> Say hello
> Wonder if you have the wrong person
> Step on him ]

merlin | fate/

[excaliborrowed]

[literally the worst wizard in the entire world please keep your attractive young women safe

anyway

he could, perhaps, be your wizardly mentor who's training you up for some kind of grand destiny. a future king? a knight in training? a princess who needs guidance? let cool uncle merlin ruin your life

or maybe you need help from that wizard who lives in the woods in order to break a curse or find a certain spell...or maybe you want to recruit him to help defeat a great evil (spoilers he's not going)

these are just a few ideas, im open to wildcarding or whatever!]

[seayou]

[ so kougyoku is a loser princess who definitely needs guidance from an awful wizard with questionable morals because that's basically her life.

maybe she has to kill a monster or prepare for an event/meeting or something?? pls help.
maybe she's roped merlin into one of her games or fancy tea parties with all her friends (actually just him, also she has no friends).
or maybe she's hitting on a prince (read: stalking them from afar) but here comes merlin the life-ruiner.
IDK KIVA I'M PULLING IDEAS OUT OF MY ASS ]

altera | fate/

[sabermars]

[a giant who's actually...kind of bad at this whole evil giant thing. for whatever reason, you've been spirited away in the middle of the night and brought back to the mountains, but despite everything you've heard about giants eating people, and despite the fact she tries at times to be harsh with you, she doesn't seem to have any intention of hurting you.

because she's the only remaining giant and she's actually really lonely...but she won't tell you that!! (unless you max out that social link)]

Hisami Hishiishii | R.O.D the TV

[hisa]

[It's a small 13-year-old. What is she doing...

A: IMPRISONED

Gifted with an incredible talent of writing and telling stories, this little girl has been locked away in a tower and sentenced to always write new stories.

Princess status optional, she could have just been plucked from her house and used by unscrupulous nobles to make some extra gold or put their younglings to bed every night.

Are you going to save her...or make her write more stories for you?]

[B: APPRENTICE

If you're a mage or a scholar or a wizard of some sort, anything involving mostly brain work, she can be a quiet but very eager apprentice, itching to learn, diligent, and never giving up. Unfortunately she won't talk unless you do. She can be clumsy with some types of magic but very skilled with others.]

[Or tell me what'chu wanna do, she can also be a small curious mermaid, or a princess...etc.]

okita souji | fate

[geho]

(OKITA SOUJI was once a very esteemed and well known bodyguard for her kingdom's royal family...she was specifically assigned to guard the princess and did a swell job at it, manslayer that she is.

But then she got really sick, which has left her with tuberculosis some kind of terrible curse?! either way it's really gotten in the way of the whole bodyguard thing

so she's on a journey to find a legendary physician and/or magician to cure her...so you could be the one she's looking for or maybe you're just accompanying her because maybe don't let a girl with tb trek across the country by herself.

alternatively she can be Fine and just be your royal bodyguard instead...she's a little goofy but she's good at her job! and very friendly. she likely has a very good relationship with whoever she's bodyguarding, unless they're like full on chaotic evil. every fairy tale needs a samurai, knights are weak)

Jyushimatsu Matsuno | Osomatsu-san | ota

[neetfreak]

I) a handsome... Princess?

[once upon a time, there was a boy who had five mean brothers. because this boy was kind of dumb, he was taken advantage of. sometimes, they got him to do their chores, other times, they made fun of him behind his back. but that was okay! the boy, Jyushimatsu, was pure-hearted (really?) and did not mind.

the boy was seriously in need of a Fairy Godmother, and so he got one! the Fairy Godmother used his magic to give Jyushimatsu a beautiful gown, and turned his brothers into horses that would pull his carriage.

now Jyushimatsu is on his way to the ball! but he can't stay out too late, otherwise, his gown will turn back into rags, and his brothers will change back into jerks...]

II) okay, now let's have a more serious prompt

[there once was an incredibly athletic young man who wanted to protect his brothers from any threat. he went to the castle to ask the King if he could train to be a Knight, and the King said that he had to prove himself to be virtuous and noble. so he sent the young man on a quest. the trials Jyushimatsu would have to face during the quest would test his strength of body, as well as his strength of heart.

along the way, Jyushimatsu would meet people that would test him...]

III) wild card!

[do you want to play out a different story? feel free to write a starter, or poke me to plot!]

Gundam Tanaka | Super Dangan Ronpa 2

[hamnation]

[For all of these options, I have the general idea of Gundam Tanaka being a young man who claims to have dark magical powers. This is all him BSing, but he does have the magical ability to bond easily with nearly any animal.

a. a knightmare - Have a rookie knight who is much more talk than actual action (unless it's an animal-related problem)!

b. henchman - He's a servant of a truly dark sorcerer who takes care of the dark side's supply of magical animals, his biggest responsibility being feeding the dragon. Will you try to clash with him on your quest?! Come to think of it, this guy doesn't seem so genuinely bad... Could it be possible to win him over to your side?

c. gone but not frogotten - Whether he's a knight or a prince, he's run afoul of an actual evil curse. Now he's turned into either a toad, a hamster or a beast. Take your pick, and see if you can break the curse! Alternately, he can be one of the first two options who is faced with your own cursed option. Anything can work!

d. wildcard! - If you have any other ideas you wish to roll with, go for it!]

riku | kingdom hearts

[darkbreak]

i -(k)nighted
A young knight with a heck of a mouth on him when he wants to be a dick. Rather protective of anybody with noble blood, particularly younger members of the royalty, but he comes from a rather impoverished, orphaned background himself.

ii - a beastly encounter
Still a rude little dick, this bored lordling of a boy pissed off the wrong old lady and got hit with a nasty curse. Big and furry and made out if the parts of various creatures, he's stowed himself away in a nearby forest, generating rumours and lore about a crazed man-eating beast.

Or alternatively, he was cursed to be a five-inch tall fairy to teach him some compassion and manners. Fat chance of that happening.

iii - not all he seems
He's an old dragon. Been around for centuries, vanquishing knights sent to kill him. Only, these past few years have him curious about human life, so he's been trying to live in towns and among the people all under a human guise. All in secret of course. It would mean death if someone found out about him...

iv - wildcard me, yo!

ii and i'm very sorry for this...

[backwatertrooper]

Odin! [Letting his forehead thump against the rusted metal of the broken-open gate when he gets no response at all, Cloud groans. If he'd had the gil to leave last year, this wouldn't have happened (or, at least, he wouldn't be the one to deal with it). Now he's gonna get reamed out, if just for being late and 'endangering my prize cob!' Suppressing a snort, Cloud rolls his eyes. As much as you can have a prize cob out in the middle of nowhere!

... Not that Odin isn't a stunning example of a male chocobo and definitely the best in the mayor's stable, but. You know. Still. Nothing for it, though; he's going to have to go get him, if he's not coming back on his own. Eyeing the huge mansion, looking more dark and overgrown than as rundown as he'd thought it would, Cloud only very reluctantly steps past the gate. He's not sure why Odin ran off, and all the way over here, but the looming feeling that settles against the back of his neck just a few steps past the gate makes Cloud wish he really hadn't.

There's so many rumours and tales about what's in the mansion (and the surrounding forest, this side of the foot of Mount Nibelheim, the fog that cloaks the mountain creeping all the way down), so who knows which is true, but he'd really rather... not find out. He was taunted into going here once when he was ten, but he's not exactly sure what happened, back then---]

Garden, g-garden!

Gah--! [Jerking back, Cloud tries to still his startled heart and glowers at the little bird fluttering about his head for a few more cheerful twittering announcements before it settles right there, tugging on his spikes.] ... yeah, thanks.

[Another narrow glance thrown upwards even if he can't see the bird at this angle, and Cloud veers off from the building to go around it instead - and spots Odin's path soon enough, now that he's been directed in the right way. With a sigh, he walks.

It's not that he's not thankful for the help, and being 'gifted' with the ability to understand birds (what the... fairy? enchantress? he doesn't know, he doesn't care, had said was 'the birds will always help you as you've helped them, the time he'd rescued one and found it turning into a stately old woman) wasn't one of the worst gifts you could get, but... Birds talk about a few things only, and can sometimes be difficult to understand and Cloud really could just have settled for something more obnoxious like leaving flowers in his wake.

(Having gold or jewels spilling out of your mouth would be helpful, but that seems like too much to expect.)

But they help, honestly, and...]

Planet. Odin. [Groaning, he jogs over to the huge chocobo, who barely looks up to wark a welcome at him while he pigs out on the wild-growing ghysal greens that seem like they were part of a kitchen garden once. Snagging the bird's reins, Cloud sighs, looking over the devastation Odin has caused just getting in here, not to talk about eating.]

Good thing no one lives here...

[And Cloud tells himself it's just his imagination the way that sense of glaring looming seems to have intensified the more time passes.]

aqua | kingdom hearts

[ghostdrives]

i - a knight in unusual armour
It's a little unusual to see a female name among the knights at muster. But for some reason, Aqua didn't grow up dreaming to be a lady's maid. Nope. The idea of travelling around and protecting people along side her best friends was far more appealing to her. But people don't take the idea of a lady knight all that kindly either...

ii - ghastly curse
The tales of people being cursed or transformed into other beings usually revolve around people with rude personalities or dispositions. But in Aqua's case, it was a grumpy witch that hated her far more positive outlook and helpful nature. Someone thought it would be worthwhile to bring a little chaos and turn her into a living shadow, unable to touch or help anyone. The normal conditions applied, a true love's kiss, but whoever could love or kiss someone that they can't even touch? She might as well be a ghost at this rate, not even able to age or change as she literally haunts and drifts in a castle.