the snow doesn't give a soft white damn what it touches

- e.e. cummings (rp sideblog only. may contain mature themes. reader discretion is advised.)

[drivenxsnow]

abandonedxangel‌:

If she hadn’t also been dropped in Fableton from somewhere else, somewhere that didn’t seem to exist in this world - at least not the way she remembered - she probably would have questioned Snow’s sanity as well.  Anyone that wasn’t like them, anyone that had come to Fableton in less mysterious ways, would think they were all crazy if they revealed how they’d come to the town.  “Hearty?  Like, strong?” she asked, slightly surprised.  She probably shouldn’t because it was a war, but she couldn’t get the image of the quirky dwarves from the story she grew up with.

“That’s fine.  I’m usually not all that chatty about myself, but I can’t help how curious I get,” she shrugged.  “I feel like I’d trust you a little less if you hadn’t been through what you have.  I don’t think I would have bonded with the Snow White from the story.  The real deal is so much better,” she complimented, smiling over at her.  “What’s your favorite part of being in Fableton?”

Snow nodded.  “Yes.  Does it mean something else I should be aware of?”  Through her job, she had become aware that not everyone else was from somewhere else.  She had a keen sense of who belonged in which group and hadn’t thought twice about sharing some key details of her origin with Angel, even if she doubted the wisdom in being completely open.  

She chuckled.  “Yes.  Well, it seems the story was changed to protect the most guilty.  I shouldn’t be surprised, because I believe more often than not, the wicked become the historians.  That said, I don’t think they always prevail.”  She thought for a moment on Angel’s question, issuing a soft sigh to hopefully buy her time to think.  “I’m freer from fear of what’s to come here.  Each day seems blissfully reminiscent of the one before, and all lack mortal danger.  What about you?” 

[drivenxsnow]

quillantheelder‌:

If Rian was another man, he could have been showering Snow in compliments for some sort of ulterior motive.  Because he was who he was, his compliments came from a genuine place in his heart, and all he hoped to gain was Snow’s confidence in herself.  The sight of the blush that refused to budge from her fair features was just a nice bonus.  “It sounds like you found something to be really passionate about.  If I cannot support you in reclaiming your throne any longer, I can certainly support you in this,” he decided, grinning over at her.  “And I have no doubt you will find way to fill your free time.  There are so many different opportunities for hobbies in this world.”

“It is hard, but I’m working on it.  If I cannot understand my own emotions, how am I to understand someone else’s, right?” he mused.  He figured, if he worked through his own problems and became a little more stable emotionally, he would be open to a healthy relationship when the right person came along.  “I appreciate your confidence, even if I may not share it,” he replied.  “I certainly hope you’ll tell me if you begin dating anyone.  I want to make sure anyone that has the privilege of courting you knows how valuable you are and what sort of repercussions there would be if they were to hurt you.”

Snow smiled, also genuine.  He had been such a driven man, but a good one.  It had been a rare combination of qualities for their time, and she was certain it was no less rare here.  Even without the proof to back that up, she believed it to be true.  “Have you found such a hobby you would be willing to share?  I am at a bit of a loss.”  

She gave a self-deprecating laugh, agreeing with his sentiment.  She dipped her head down and brush her hair back from her face.  “I suppose that’s true, and equally true for me.  That doesn’t mean I don’t hate the time for self-introspection all the same.”  She nodded.  “Of course I will, and likewise.” 

[fearlessonthecoast]

By Lorenzo Agius for Unknown - 2004

[drivenxsnow]

abandonedxangel‌:

“I guess that makes sense.  Plus, a lot of people around here might think you’re crazy if you tell them you’re the Snow White,” she pointed out.  Or at least the people that didn’t come from other places like the two of them.  “What were they all like?  I take it they weren’t just stereotypes like in the stories.  Like, not just Grumpy or Sneezy.”  She figured she knew the answer, but she wanted to know more.  “Sorry, this is probably way more talking about yourself than you’d like, but you can trust me.  Promise.”

“Oh, I know that.  It’s just a category.  But that does remind me, did the evil queen really have a magic mirror?” she asked, brows raised.  “A war.  That’s a lot heavier than an adventure,” she nodded.  “I guess actually being there probably put it in a more realistic light.  I’m sorry it wasn’t the puffy, light story that I grew up hearing.  I’m glad you got out of it before something bad happened though.  I’m glad you’re here.”

Snow raised her eyebrows and tipped her head in appreciation of the fact her sanity would be called into question if she were more open about her true identity.  She hoped Ravenna wasn’t around to do the questioning, because she was positive it would happen if Ravenna was anywhere to be found.  Any kind of discrediting or undermining would do.  “No, they were all hearty men with their own reasons for being involved.”  She shrugged.  “I know I can, but you’re right, I usually keep much more to myself.  I guess it’s become a habit, rather than something based in trust or mistrust.” 

She nodded. “Yes.  She also poisoned apples.  But life has both light and darkness.  I became a stronger person and, I’m sure, a better leader through my experiences.  Plus, now I’m here and I think I have the tools to be happy.  I’m glad to be here, too.” 

[drivenxsnow]

quillantheelder‌:

“I could understand doing so back in our world, but why are you keeping to yourself here?  You can be anything you want to be, Snow.  You could take this place by storm if you wanted to, and I would be right back supporting you every step of the way,” he told her.  “You always had such good instincts, and you always knew what to say to get people to rally behind you.  I may have been bred to lead since birth, but this is not my kingdom.  The people here don’t just trust me because of who my father is, and I am not nearly as eloquent as you.  Disregarding your inexperience with modern technology, I stand by what I said.”

“That’s what I hold on to when I notice how different he is from who he used to be,” he admitted.  It was funny how easy it was to talk to Snow, even after so much time had passed since she last saw her.  He supposed it was a testament to their friendship, that they could fall right back into things without much difficulty.  His smile only grew when she began laughing with him, the sight a practical work of art he felt selfish for being the only one to witness it.

“That ship has unfortunately sailed.  I’ve found that relationships, love, and women are three things I have very little knowledge about and being ignorant to such things leaves me open to making a lot of mistakes.  One thing I have learned was that just because I don’t hide my feelings does not mean I always understand what it is that I am feeling,” he explained.  He chuckled again at her observation, cringed a little, and then nodded.  “It can be, but I think with the right person, it shouldn’t be.  Others I know have managed to make it work.  I think I just haven’t found my person yet.  Or I have and I haven’t realized that’s who they’re meant to be to me.”

Snow ducked her head, hiding the smile that spilled unabashed onto her face because of his compliments and his passion.  She knew she was blushing, maybe even retaining a pink hue when she looked back up at him.  “That isn’t what this town needs, though.  I aimed for a revolution back home because those extremes were necessary.  Here... I’m finding a lot of fulfillment by making a difference on a one-on-one basis.  Things are different, and I mean that in a good way.  It leaves time and safety for a life beyond that work, if I want one.  I’m just trying to figure out what that might include, because I never had the chance before.” 

Her eyes drank him in, just listening intently as he talked through an overview of his doubts.  Maybe.  She wasn’t entirely sure they were doubts, exactly, but his words did seem to lack the optimism he had, just moments before, exuded about her.  “Understanding your own feelings and why you’re having them is hard.  I’m not sure I’ve liked having time to do that for myself.  But if anyone can figure it all out, it’s you.  And any person would be so lucky to have you as their partner.  I’m sure it’ll all come together with the right person and the right time.” 

[drivenxsnow]

abandonedxangel‌:

“Sorry, I’m throwing a lot at you.  I just grew up hearing stories like yours.  The idea of you getting away from the evil queen was a big reason I got through a lot of the shit I dealt with before coming to Fableton,” she admitted.  Not only had Snow been like a guardian angel for her in Fableton, but she had been her hero before she’d even met her.  What were the odds?  “Oh they weren’t?  Still, having a bunch of guys there to fight for you is pretty badass,” she pointed out with a smile.  “The hunter guy, right?  He’s the one that didn’t kill you,” she remembered.  “So it was less of a fairy tale and more of a political adventure, huh?”  Sounded pretty cool to her either way, but clearly whoever had gone mainstream with Snow’s story got it all wrong.

“It’s quite alright,” Snow dismissed.  “I’m just not used to sharing about myself.  I think part of the reason I chose the job I did is so the focus is on someone else.”  It was all part of her anonymity, in a way.  “I’m glad my story could help and inspire you, though.  And... I think I was fighting with them.  It was unclear in the end who joined whose cause.  Essentially, our common goal was to disrupt the Queen’s rule.  That they trusted me as a potential replacement, even though it was my rightful role, meant the world to me.”  

She nodded, not wanting to go further into detail about Hunt.  He had become more than just someone who didn’t kill her, and she didn’t want to elaborate.  It was both for his own privacy, which he guarded so fiercely, and her own.  “There weren’t fairies involved,” she agreed.  “And I think in the end I would describe it as a war rather than an adventure.  At least a battle.  I wasn’t innocent enough to consider it adventurous or pleasurable.”

[drivenxsnow]

~*~ Prompt 1: Home ~*~ 

Home is an odd concept for Snow.  She went from being a princess, though she was quite small, to being more of a servant.  Ravenna stole any sense of home or safety that may have been instilled by her father.  As she got older, more involved in a rebellion and distanced from castle life, home took on a different meaning.  It was wherever she could rest and feel safe, wherever she could stay long enough to light a fire.  It was wherever she was in good company.  

Here in Fableton, she doesn’t have a way to light a fire and she hasn’t made many friends because she is slow to trust in terms of personal closeness.  She knows the Evil Queen is here somewhere, or likely here, so her next goal is to store implements of safety hidden in the place she has created.  It’s more light than cave, more accessible than underground, but it’s coming together in a place she can relax and feel at peace for at least a moment at a time.  And the name of her neighborhood, Ever After, feels like somewhere she might get to stay.

(X)

[drivenxsnow]

quillantheelder‌:

“And I feel silly for not realizing you have been here under my nose for so long,” he admitted, shaking his head in slight disbelief.  “I will deny this if you ever repeat it, but you would make a far better leader than I,” he told her, his smile softening a bit.  The reason why he had been so determined to help Snow in the first place was because he believed in her.  He believed she would take care of her people, and he had been willing to whatever he must to get her into the position of power that was rightfully hers.  “We came from a much more primitive time, I think.  Everything is more advanced here.  Not everything is “better”, per se, but it is all certainly more developed than what we were accustomed to.”

“He’s different,” he began, trying to best phrase his brother’s state.  “I don’t think he will ever be the man he was before losing her, but he’s also not nearly as low as he was just after losing her.  He’s found a new normal in his life, and it works for him.  I think that’s the best I could have asked for given the circumstances,” he explained.  “When you love someone as deeply as he did her, and you lose them, your world shatters.  He’s managed to put most of the pieces together again, but a piece of him definitely died when she did,” he muttered with a sigh.  His grin reappeared at her compliment, her question causing him to even laugh a little.  “I think to some it might be, but not for me.  Perhaps that’s why I’m so rotten at it.”

Snow shook her head and offered him a smile.  “Stop blaming yourself.  I’m more used to staying hidden than being out in the open.  While I would never intentionally hide from you, obviously, I still kept to myself.”  She was still shaking her head.  “I don’t think I would be better, but we would definitely be different.  Don’t sell yourself short.  Plus, you’re right, and the advancements are still something I’m learning to navigate here.”

It was good to hear that his brother was at least surviving or moving forward, rather than being paralyzed and hollowed out by grief.  She’d never quite figured out if Hunt was the former or the latter, but she knew what she hoped for him, so of course it applied to anyone else, too.  “I have seen the fallout from that, and  putting most of the pieces back together is an accomplishment.”  

His grin, his laugh, and his words made her laugh enough she pressed her hand over her mouth to stop it, because she really for the most part wasn’t laughing at him.  Whatever part of her was teasing him definitely wasn’t doing it in a mean way.  “Or maybe you’re rotten at it because you don’t try to hide your feelings.  I’m not sure that’s a bad thing, I just hope it doesn’t open you up to being hurt.”  While she wasn’t sure about dating, she’d had to conceal a lot, or channel it to her cause.  She didn’t give anything away if she didn’t have to, emotionally or otherwise.  “Either way, this abbreviated courting process sounds a little terrifying.” 

[drivenxsnow]

abandonedxangel‌:

“Yeah, the one from the fairy tale.  Seven dwarfs, hunter, evil queen, and all that,” she recalled.  She’d heard it so long ago, and she couldn’t even remember who had told it to her, but there was no mistaking who she was.  “I’m technically a princess now too…  I think.  It’s all very confusing, but I get it.  That’s what royalty should be like, right?  Caring about their people?  Either way, that’s, like, crazy cool.  What were the dwarfs like?  Did you actually eat the poisoned apple?  Do you really sing and animals come to you?”

It was a lot to take in, that Angel knew something about her from her past life.  The details weren’t completely accurate, at least as far as Snow could gather from what she was being told.  It was coming fast and she was doing the best she could.  “The... there was an underground council, but they weren’t dwarves.”  She sighed.  “The rest.... well, that’s true.  The evil queen wanted me dead and she didn’t get her way because I fought back.  I was only able to do that because someone first paid me a kindness by not killing me for her.  And no, I didn’t eat anything poisoned, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t try.”  She tilted her head.  “And... I’m not much of a singer.  Sometimes I can put together a decent motivational speech, but it wasn’t animals I was trying to draw to me.” 

[drivenxsnow]

haunted-huntsman‌:

“Not all the time,” he said sharply, narrowing his eyes at her. Quirking an eyebrow, he rolled his eyes, “Hardly.”

“And is that a source of worry for you, or do you trust me to handle myself?” She asked, narrowing her eyes in more of a tease than anything else.  “Then what do you feel like you’re doing?  C’mon... give me at least three words.” 

[drivenxsnow]

abandonedxangel‌:

Her brows shot up that that, first in surprise, then in shock when she realized who Snow was.  “Holy shit, you’re Snow White.  Like the Snow White.  God, why did this take me so long to figure out?” she scolded herself, face-palming before looking over at her in awe.  “How come you never told me you were a princess?  We’ve known each other all this time and I’m just now figuring out you’re from that story?  Wait, you know Rian!  Oh my god, I need to know, what was he like?  Still the same stick-up-the-ass guy I know now?”

Snow took in Angel’s reaction, but it left her more bewildered than anything.  “The Snow White?”  She asked.  She shook her head.  “I guess I never felt like a princess, so I don’t think of myself as one.  Of course I felt a duty to my people, but... well, never mind.”  

She chuckled.  “I know Florian, I think quite well.  We were both part of the resistance.  I always found him to be very capable and kind.  I consider him a friend.” 

[drivenxsnow]

quillantheelder‌:

While Rian liked to think he had become very good at reading people in general, he had always seemed to be able to get to what Snow was feeling through her methods of trying to express herself.  He had spent his whole life learning how to phrase things, so he wasn’t all that surprised he was able to reword what she was doing in a way that was easily understandable.

“I am one of the council members for Fableton’s town council.  I’m in charge of the neighborhood Ever After, which leads me to the question: where are you living now that we’re here?  Even if it’s not in Ever After, I would hope it’s better than the mines,” he joked, smiling over at her.  Yes, he was trying to change the subject.  Despite doing all he could under the title of councilman, he wasn’t sure his day-to-day responsibilities would sound all the impressive compared to what they used to do together.

Rian offered a small smile when her hand reached towards his, his palm turning so he could give her hand a gentle squeeze before releasing it.  “Not as close as I wish I had been, but close enough to feel the sting of her loss,” he explained.  “My concern over my brother’s well-being tended to trump that loss most days though,” he added with a shrugged shoulder.  “It is… sort of like courting in our world.  Less chaperones, which is nice, but the freedom leaves room for complications, of which I have experienced plenty.  I may have been known as charming back home, but I seem to have very little of what I believe they call ‘game’.”

Snow chuckled appreciatively, warming at the sight of his smile.  He’d always had that effect on her, no matter how dire the circumstance. “It is in Ever After, so now I feel especially silly for not being aware I had such a capable leader.  But it’s much better than the mines, or most anywhere from home.  It’s rather interesting how that happens, isn’t it?” 

Once he’d released her hand, she settled into a more relaxed posture, folding her arms as she frowned.  “And how is your brother now?”  She knew the loss of a wife was something some never got over.  Others seemed to eventually rally.  She wasn’t so sure it was an accurate reflection on the depth of love, but maybe more on the needs of the person left behind.  She found herself hoping the brother he’d spoken of so fondly was the resilient type.  

“You are charming no matter where you are.”  Her confidence faded into a bit of confusion, though.  “Game?  Courting isn’t a game, is it?” 

[drivenxsnow]

[drivenxsnow]

[drivenxsnow]

therevengebusiness‌:

His head tipped to study her, musculature, limb length, height, occasionally having to blink slightly bleary eyes to clear them. “It is possible, and I am the person, yes,” he nodded as he stood up, gesturing for her to follow him. He led her to a display of things already done, searching for a particular one that he felt was most suiting that he currently had on hand. “Try this, but carefully,” he instructed as he picked it up and held it to her, hilt-first.

As per usual, she had been watching the person rather than his wares.  He seemed a little less than okay.  She turned her attention to the knife once it was offered, though, taking the hilt into one of her hands.  Part of her wanted to throw it, but the other part of her wanted to keep it close.  Throwing knives wasn’t exactly her strong suit, but she’d managed when she needed to.  As it was, she swung it a bit, held it up to her ankle where she imagined she would need to store something, and generally just weighed it.  Because she was used to a sword, it was still lighter and it was a well-made knife. 

“I think this should work for my purposes.  Unless you would recommend something lighter for regular carrying.” 

[drivenxsnow]

haunted-huntsman‌:

“Then you weren’t paying attention,” he said bluntly, finishing off the apple in a few sharp bites before tossing the core into the trash.

“Then I guess it’s a good thing I have you to pay attention for me,” she said mildly, even though he was probably being a bit overprotective.  “You’re not feeling like you’re going to drop dead, are you?” 

[drivenxsnow]

thecrazyhulagirl‌:

“I prefer that instead of thinking about the more negative implications of their actions.” Lilo wasn’t naive to truly ignore sometimes she gets brushed off because people are rude. “It probably is. But you’re not being rude. That is something.” She looked around, “Can I ask what do you do around here?”

“Probably for the best,” Snow agreed.  “And I’m glad that’s at least something.  I’m a victim’s advocate, so basically I help people who also need help from the police.  Like if they’re the victim of a crime, the police handle the crime and I handle the rest -- a place to stay, someone to talk to, that sort of thing.”