Fantasy Festival of Fantasy

[weldherwings]

mood.

if you're not meant to chew your hair, why does it taste so damn good then, hey?

outfit.

tag.

@.chxrryette.

Princess Maia of Solstice

Sat upon the floor, her dress pooling around her, Maia gazed at the mirror before her. Dressed to perfection, thanks to the help of the frantic servants who had finally managed to drag her out of bed moments before. Her brother had left her with lingering words that haunted her mind, taking captive of her attention. Seconds later, the head maid rushed in and gasped at the sight of the Princess lying in bed. “Out of all days, Miss,” the sixty-five-year-old Mrs Howell had tutted her as her team came swarming in after her. They pulled the blinds open, allowing the sun to burst through the dark room and sprawl upon the sleeping girl’s face. “You can sleep in any other day, but you pick one of the most important days of your life? Honestly” Mrs Howell continued to scold the Princess like she was four again.

They had torn her up from bed, taken away her safe space, and begun to work their magic. Forced her out of her pyjamas and into this extravagant ball dress. Brushing her long, straight hair with no hesitation against the knots that formed as she slept at night. Placing makeup upon her face to enhance the redness of her plump lips and the pink of her cheeks. Moulding her into a Princess worthy enough for the love of another. The servants had come in like a rush of wind and just like that, were gone again. Dressed and presented with elegance, Maia had stood before the mirror and gazed at her reflection. It was at the moment, as her eyes met their reflection that she felt a weight drop upon her shoulders.

So, she sat on the ground.

Feeling the weight of her siblings, who had pleaded with her not to be weird and to make an effort for the festival. Feeling the weight of her parents who had spoken about her in private, remarking how she was nothing more than a jester on the board of chess pieces for their future. And the feeling of the weight of her Kingdom, who spent every waking moment planning on how they could avoid her unless they needed her. It was never any fun walking into the village and having a sea of people automatically run in the opposite direction; a shark swimming through a school of flounders. But Maia never wanted to be the shark. She wanted to be the flounder, scurrying off with the others. The weight caused her shoulders to slouch and her stomach to turn. Thimble hands reached up, grabbing a lock of hair, pulling it and twirling it around her finger. And when that didn’t seem to stop the weight upon her chest, she placed it into her mouth. Sucking and chewing on it softly; a sigh of relief escaped her as her eyes slowly closed. She could feel it all starting to float away. She was in her happy place.

“Princess! What are you doing?!”

Mrs Howell was back once more, ready to scold her even more so.

Maia’s eyes snapped open, giving herself whiplash as she turned to see the shocked head servant standing at her open door. “Get that out of your mouth!” demanded the older woman; without a moment of hesitation, Maia opened her mouth and allowed the strand of wet, chewed-on hair to fall back into place. No wonder she woke up with knots galore every morning. “And get up! You’re going to get your dress all dirty after we spent a week spot cleaning it after your last little adventures in it”

Maia silently arose from the floor as Mrs Howell hurried over to smack parts of the dress back down again. All the while, the head servant continued to mutter to herself about how the Princess was inconsiderate and childish. The weight continued to pile on once again. But what more was there to do? As her mother had always said, just smile. So, she did that. As Mrs Howell fixed her up once more, she stared at the mirror and smiled. As she was handed her rose to hold, she took it and smiled. Finally, as she left her room and made her way down to the gardens, she smiled. But once in the presence of so many other people, in their wonderful dresses and suits, that smile began to slowly fade. No, smile. Smile. Smile she kept telling herself. No matter how many times she told herself to do so, she just couldn’t.

So, instead of heading inwards and towards the crowd of royals, she hid from the eye of others. A detour to behind the tall hedges, she stood with her back against the lush greenery. “You can do this… you can do this…” she hushed to herself, allowing her eyes to close. “You can do this… you can do this…” Her fingers played with the wet strand of hair, twirling and lacing it. “It’s going to be so easy… You can do it, honestly…” Temptation was way too strong, and the lock of hair had somehow managed to find its way into her mouth once more. She could already feel her anxiety starting to float away, but for how long would it last?

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© weldherwings.

 

[L3n]

PRINCE OF TAIRIS

MOOD.

gru from despicable me

OUTFIT.

TAGS.

qunqun (Auguste)

Helios raised an eyebrow at the entertainer.

From Soltice, huh? His eyes wandered through the garden. All the pretty intertwining flowers and sights Auguste had probably seen here before. Did the Solstice castle hold balls like this for its locals frequently? Or did only royals and their staff get to visit? That would be such a waste.

When Carmen departed from their brief conversation Helios worried for a split second whether things would go back to being awkward. Politeness was what Helios was familiar with. He didn’t feel restricted in that regard. It might be the other’s quiet nature that was a bit off-putting. Helios didn’t get to be his quiet “brooding” self. The prince actually had to put effort into the conversation, woe him. It was hard for him to pretend to dislike it.

The difficulty increased when the man returned the same energy. “How dare she,” he said, helping to chip down the invisible wall. The prince swore he saw a hint of a smile from the man. It was there. Was that even some humor detected too?

“Right? I’m absolutely heartbroken,” Helios managed to make it through the sentence without laughing. He ran a hand through his hair, breaking through a bit of the stiffness he felt.

“What do you want to do?”

Helios tried not to look pained at the reaction. The performer just shifted his own question back onto him. Maybe making decisions was hard for Auguste? Was it the fear of not wanting to “get it wrong”? Being indecisive was more than okay, it wasn’t like Helios had a problem with making decisions. Still, he waited a bit before responding to see if Auguste would try to speak his mind. And the pause seemed to work, Auguste picked the conversation back up. Helios offered a little smile, waiting patiently through the trail-offs and the awkward silences.

“I would absolutely love a tour. That’s a great idea. Forget about being a diplomat I’m now a simple tourist,” Helios shrugged off his too expensive coat to fold it over an arm. He moved his free hand out a bit to the side, as if saying, “Look at me I’m already a normal commoner, just fancier.”

The prince looked around once more. There was a good crowd of people, it was a festival after all. Carmentis was safe talking to Dorian, but Helios remembered to send him another warning glare. His brother was off somewhere. Everything was well. If there weren’t so many people the gardens would have been very relaxing to walk through. He could smell the flowers from here. Taking a deep breath he smiled up at the giant.

“Let’s get out of here then, my tour guide.”

PRINCE HELIOS

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[t e t z e l]

mood.

Handsome lady I'm gonna act a fool if this continues

outfit.

tag.

weldherwings

She stood back as the woman turned towards her, folding her hands together so the hems of her long sleeves would cover up the fact that she was fidgeting with her fingers and rings nervously as the taller woman turned and looked down at her. Adelaide put on a more polite smile as quick as she could to hide any nervousness that was showing. The pitch black hair that suited the lady’s striking hazel eyes were gorgeous and her regal ensemble was truly a match for the stoic atmosphere she gave off and the beauty she showed so naturally. It was the knight that put her into a small trance but she was also the one to break it when she kneeled down in front of her in a single motion to greet her.

‘Estella Blackwood. Royal Protectorate of the Solstice family. It is truly a pleasure to make your acquaintance’ The words rang in her head as Estella took one of her hands and raised it to her lips for a kiss. A socially acceptable kiss on the back of her hand. Nothing new, nothing to be flustered or embarrassed over, nothing that was supposed to be more than that. But the innocent gesture left her flustered and the thin layer of smoke to make itself a little more seen for a single moment as she quickly tried to regain any of her cool composure that she had before. “... Adelaide. Youngest princess of Phora. The pleasure is all mine, my lady. Also this is an event for all statuses so don’t feel like you need to be overly formal on my account especially as my partner for this fine evening.” Adelaide responded softly to her introduction, her smile growing a bit more as she hid any nervous behavior she could from Estella as she curtsied back to her.

“So you're a royal protectorate of the Solstice kingdom? I’m glad my partner is someone who is familiar with the Solstice kingdom. I was afraid of getting lost in a new place such as this if I ever tried to explore.” She spoke with a small laugh, trying her best to remember all the conversation starters she had learned from either her lady-in-waiting or from watching social events from afar like she was used to.

However, as soon as she said those words she started to rethink them a bit. Did those words make it seem like she was going to wander off on her own and be nosy? Because she absolutely was later on but she didn’t want to give that type of impression especially in front of Estella, her partner for the evening and was just getting an impression of her. “Of course I would never wander where I’m not wanted either.” Adelaide assured quickly as she pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear purely as a means to control some of her apprehensiveness at the moment. Of course she regretted saying that as well, feeling her statement seemed even more suspicious. Maybe shutting up for a moment would do her some good before she would come off as nosy or annoying to Estella. Besides she was more curious about the tall woman in front of her for now.

"So Estella, how are you liking the event so far? I mean, the events have only just started but do you think you'll enjoy it?" Adelaide asked curiously, prompting her to speak so she didn't have to for the moment.

Princess Adelaide of Phora

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[Jigajig]

mood.

Have I died and gone to Heaven, for there is a Angel before me.

outfit.

tag.

t e t z e l

As Estella kissed the back of the hand of the woman before her, she noted something... rather peculiar. A very thin layer of smoke seemed to be emanating from the woman. It was not until the woman introduced herself as "“... Adelaide. Youngest princess of Phora." that it made some form of sense. Estella cocked her head to the side slightly and then could not help but smile as she told to not be so formal. "As you wish" Estella stood back up to her full height, letting go of Adelaide's hand. "Once again a true pleasure to meet you Adelaide." She watched as the young Princess curtsied back to her before asking her about her role. "Indeed, it is my sole duty to protect the Royal Family of Solstice. Of course I've been given some time to enjoy this event, but I made sure that the security detail is top notch." Estella could not but let out a light laugh as the young Princess voiced concern of getting lost if she were to explore "Yes well even people who live here sometimes can get a tad bit lost, the castle is quite vast. I remember getting lost on my first day, so you would not be alone in that regard." At the mention of wandering off somewhere, where she may not be wanted Estella shook her head smiling. "Aha I am sure that would be a very small amount of places.." Estella blushed ever so slightly at her words realising what she had just said. "Ah if you wish to explore, perhaps I could give you a tour? That is if you want to I mean." Estella was finding it slightly difficult to get her thoughts clear.




When questioned on if she was enjoying the event Estella considered the question for a moment, running a hand through her hair as she pondered. "Yes.. so far it has been quite enjoyable and I'm sure it will only continue to be so. Even more so now that I have found my partner for the event.. and one such as radiant as yourself I am most definitely sure this event will be most enjoyable." From the light blush that flushed across Estella's face it was clear that the Amazonian like woman had taken a liking to the young princess. She only hope, wished and prayed that she was not coming across weird or anything like that. She would hate herself for giving off any bad impressions. She was representing the kingdom after all. "And yourself? How have you been finding the event thus far? I do hope everythi.." It was at that moment that Estella was suddenly cut off by a loud "kraa" noise from above her.


Looking up she saw a crow circling above and then smiled softly. "Ah.." The crow began to descend, flying in a downward spiral slowly and gracefully before suddenly landing upon Estella's shoulder. She chuckled softly, as the crow looked to her. She reached up and ran a single finger under the birds beak. "Ah I was wondering where you had gotten too.." Estella smiled and looked down to Adelaide. "Adelaide, this is Beaky. They are my pet Crow. Beaky this is Princess Adelaide of Phora." Beaky cawed slightly turning their head to look at the young princess, pitch Black eyes examining the young woman before cawing slightly and seemingly bowing their head slightly. "Haha I think he likes you. Who can blame him though"

Royal Protectorate Estella Blackwood

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[Gao]

TAIRIS VISCOUNT

MOOD.

EVERYTHINGS FALLING APART BUT HEY MA'AM MLADY MISS MADAM

OUTFIT.

TAGS.

qunqun (Graham) + weldherwings (Maia)

Gleaned in an air of elegance, Rajah was a calm, honorable individual.

Then he got named Handsome!

And ohohoho! Suddenly Rajah was no longer a calm or honorable individual!

Biting down a smile before it could unfurl across his face in an ephemeral display of childish glee, there was familiar warmth welling in his chest at the compliment; fatal defect to sugar-spun words, Viscount Ibadah knew himself to be painfully simple when it came to acts of flattery.

He couldn’t help it, he got named Handsome.

Tone did not shift to the inquiry of Bruwyth, and it was casual anyhow in its interest.

A tame answer, no scandal or fault to be said. Plucked only the ripest cherries when Rajah was in search of pomegranate damnation. The grit and the stain, scoured polish and jewel for something more than a pretty palace and nice gardens. And oh, gardens. He’d cloak the shudder travelling his spine in an awkwardly fake smile. Yay. Dirt and pollen and petalled creations.

As easy as that, Rajah had made a decision. For something someone has to see at least once in their lifetime, Raj could cope with not at all. He was never visiting Bruwyth. Perish, flower-lovers.

Flower-lovers that had brought a baker.

Cheesecake.

Smoothing the fabric of Graham’s coat in slow, languid strokes, Rajah had zoned from reality by a notch. Patting the man's shoulders in contemplative silence; a villain with his little orange cat. Perhaps, Bruwyth wasn’t the worst.

Cheesecake with little strawberries on top.

“This is wonderful news.” He’d share, voice faint and barely audible. Caught in the undertow of distraction, rich and silky nestled on the cookie crust, his brain had melted to the equivalent topping of puree fruit. “I shall have to consult with them at once.”

Everyone needs a hobby. His just happened to involve harassing bakers.

Was everyone from Tairis as charming and handsome as him? Many from Tairis were far better in terms of morals and… well… entire personality. Rajah couldn't exactly tell him that.

“Are you already looking to replace me with someone better?” He’d fondly ask with a click of the tongue. “And so soon? Awfully cruel.”

Accustomed to spinning stories of his own origin, speaking highly about Tairis was unknown territory. No ill-will harboured (excluding a crown-absent status), yet no dwelling of tender sentiments either. Just another place, just more strangers to bed down in the liminal space of his soul.

And oh boy, did he bed a lot of strangers!

“Tairis is…” words unspooled ribbonlike, slipping from grasp like wet straw. A pause so easily read. There were plenty of questions he could’ve answered with ease; words practised like clockwork. The lacking vocabulary held the Viscount to a heavy vice, and in this instance, Rajah could only manage a tepid and much delayed:

“Tairis is nice.”

Awkward side-eye.

Well, Raj thought grimly and set teeth into tongue, that’s not painfully boring.

“They have rather exceptional Brandy.” Oh, good. Look like an alcoholic.

“It would be better with your company.” Just stop talking.

Kind in spirit, gentle in leading, their walk had detoured to the fringes of the garden, a question posed that had any remaining virtues valued naught. Self-control was holding Raj at the scruff of the neck by only a weak pinch. Almost muscle memory, this strange dance of theirs.

“You do not care about finding your match.” Question posed as a statement, their interweaving paths brought a light smile to Rajah’s face. Of course, he’d agree to such an offer. “That sounds n–”

The Viscount stopped.

Not purposeful in lending an unsure quiet, Raj definitely knew he wanted to leave with them, he’d frozen to the flutter of a discernible feeling. Flattening tongue behind teeth, a small apologetic smile while awaiting it to ebb. This was fine.

“That w–” A flutter to a snap of wings, a sudden sneeze jolted the Viscount into offended silence.

Clocked off-guard, seconds passed of looking as if Rajah had been physically struck. It was no different than the crumbling of a citadel, rotting foundations sinking and swallowed by sand. Sensation creeping his nose and itching his eyes, the beloathed flowers, Raj knew God’s intervention was intentionally cruel.

“Fucker.”

Spoken blunt, he may have forgotten the very important presence. A glance to Graham, eyes widened a fraction in panic.

“No not– not you. You’re lovely.” Too lovely for a sniffling mess, unfortunately. Trying to clutch to any essence of honour remaining, it appeared, tragically, Rajah would have to set his catch loose. Eyes lined with kohl soot never did comply with tears, and it was only a matter of time till sable tracked his face in disorderly fashion.

Dabbing the corner of an eye with a meticulous knuckle, Rajah pointed into the distance with his other hand; towards the epicentre mingling with guests. A final goodbye, reluctant as it was.

“Look!” He exclaimed. “A naked person!”

It was stupid, the Viscount knew this; taking the distracting opportunity to disappear around a hedge and hurry away through the maze of flowers. Stifling a second sneeze and feeling eyes grow aggravated by allergies, he supposed he should be thankful for Graham’s suggestive little schemes. Having been led to the outskirts of the event, it garnered a vacant pathway, reserving a clear dash for Rajah to return indoors and mourn what he’d missed out on.

Specifically who he’d missed out on.

But stranger people were afoot.

Upon rounding another hedge, he was unable to bite down a girlish scream of surprise and flinch back when met with a lonesome outlier. Gowned in snow and chewing champagne hair, god I wish that were me, a female perched like a dove across a backdrop of the endless garden. As if flawlessly preserved in a glass coffin, a fairytale thing not yet lost to the brambles of fathomless woods.

Met with under-eyes smeared with charcoal like some forlorn war widow, the awkward stare and silence Rajah shared with the gossamer woman almost curdled air.

This was a very weird encounter.

“I’m certain Solstice would feed you if you asked.” If blessed with hindsight of who he was speaking with, the Viscount would’ve deterred from making such jokes. Every instinct screamed to reach out and petulantly tug the hair from her maw, gross, laden with saliva and germs and all things detestable.

He controlled himself. She was strange. Many may even argue disgusting.

But alas, she was pretty. And therefore, like any other perfectly sane and completely reasonable individual, Rajah could only do one thing.

Flirt with her.

“How will you go about meeting suitors if you hide yourself away like some nervous rabbit?” Tone too tranquil for their situation, one chewing hair, one marred with what looked like the aftermath of a funeral, both idling away from the eyes of others.

“Does it frighten you to emit such beauty?”

RAJAH IBADAH

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[qunqun]

Solstice Entertainer

mood.

im going to be hanged for this

outfit.

tag.

L3n @sunshineysoul

Auguste had always been a man of a rather nervous temperament. The sheer and final act of survival having beaten his optimism down over the years and years of hardship until it solidified into a paranoid bent with suspicion lurking around every corner.

That is to say, he suddenly realized that hew as about to show an opposing kingdom all of Solstice’s inner secrets. No. No. Nononono. That wouldn’t do. He couldn’t do that. That would be wrong. And most likely treason. He had to come up with something stupid. Quick!

“Ehm… Okay. Shall we then?” He asked, before walking once more into the palace with the potential Tairis spy.

What if he found out a secret? Would Auguste get hanged for treason? He did let the guy inside and suggest poking about. No. Auguste had a plan. He had an excellent plan.

“This is the kitchen.” He had stopped in front of a door. “Ehm… We can…” He looked back towards the closed door. What if he tried to poison the food? Could Auguste be implicated in the murder?

“Ehm… Stay out here.” And then Auguste left him in the hallway, only to return very shortly later with a plate of raw fish. “We go again, yes?”

He continued walking, every now and then throwing out a “This is the bedrooms- You already know this sorry” or “This is… a random hallway, unimportant, continuing.”

Clearly, only the most knowledgeable of sources on things happening within the palace. Though, it should be noted that he did greet every servant by name as they passed with a small smile and a wave.

Auguste suddenly pulled Helios into a random corridor with a speed and strength that had laid dormant thus far from the soft touches of before. Excitement and energy actually starting to fill the rather lethargic man.

“This. This is very important. These are Colette, Bonbon, Gaston, and Miaou.” And then he set down the plate of raw fish, and four cats slunk out from the shadows, purring as they came out to greet the giant.

Fast spoken sentences in a foreign language came and went as he gently petted the purring cats as they rubbed against the giant’s legs who helpfully sat down cross legged.

“It is the most important part of the palace, yes? The mouse catchers which we keep to keep the mice at bay. Very important part of the staff. More important than the princes and princesses, yes they are.” One of the cats climbed onto his head.

Shifty eyes. Then look at Helios. And then a flurry of syllables dropped out of his mouth that were partially foreign, and partially common that were a strange amalgamation of both languages. “Not that the royals are unimportant you’re a very important figure in the government that was a treasonous thing I just said I’m very sorry I didn’t mean to imply that the royals are incompetent and that you are incompetent it’s just that these cats technically probably do more actual work than the princes and princesses when you really think about it but I’m sure you’re one of the good nobles that actually does things and doesn’t fuck over the common folk.”

Probably the most he’d spoken so far.

Just shut up.

He buried his face in cat fur.

This was fine.

Auguste Cortes of Solstice

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