hidden in shadow } Hey, everyone. Been a while, hasn’t it? I honestly doubt it makes much of a difference at this point, but this is an announcement to tell everyone I’ve finally decided to remake this blog! If you’re interested in roleplaying with these muses once again or simply following a reboot of the story, please feel free to follow @lxsprit!
It’s been a great how many years, and I loved interacting with everyone here, but this blog has become sort of a haunting reminder of a lot of things I don’t want to think about. I’m happy that so many people were interested in my characters and story, but a fresh start after tossing in ideas and hoping they’d work seems to be for the best, for both the story and my sanity.
I’d like to thank anyone who stuck around all this time, despite quite a number of you falling into inactivity as well, and despite the fact I ended up unfollowing so many mutuals in my fits of depression, but rest assured, I’m planning to see Bel!EVE and its story to the end this time.
If you’ve not interested in this story anymore, though, I completely understand and you have no obligation to continue following me. But!! If you’d like to interact with different OCs of mine, feel free to follow @menacedemort, @dxssonance, and/or @rxprise for some fresh faces!
hidden in shadow } Let’s... pretend I’m not already a month behind on my updates... haha... A lot’s been going on and I’ve been stressed and anxious and not at all in the good way. I’m probably gonna hold off on updating the story at all until winter break (mine starts after December 14th), but feel free to send me asks at @lxspritdelescalier-answers! I’m planning on drawing the answers to most asks on that blog, and who knows, maybe it’ll kick up my inspiration and I might write a few things sooner than later.
I guess I’ll start reblogging ask memes to that blog now, haha;;
“Sometimes I forget that Lilian’s health is bad...”
Evan and his sister. /o/ I realize I haven’t drawn much (especially between these two), but despite Lilian’s poor health, she’s quite the active young woman!
hidden in shadow } So, yes, I do realize I’m behind on skits, so as I noted I might do in the scheduling post, I’m going to switch to weekly updates. Skits that should have happened throughout the week will be queued to be posted on Fridays and Saturdays depending on how quickly I can get them done. It was just bad planning on my part to have so many skits grouped up within a matter of days, but I promise the plot is thickening and the minor-but-still-relevant filler material is coming to an end. You wanna know what’s happening with Clyde? Okay. You wanna see what EverBlooM’s up to other than winning at life? Sure. It’s all coming, and I hope you’ll all stick with me through this rollercoaster of a story, because I’m not gonna dump it any time soon if I can help it.
I admit I’ve been getting waves of having no motivation again, but any and all interested in my story + characters is well appreciated.
That being said, I’m going to work on making a Bel!Eve ask blog as a side account to this blog, so look forward to it! It’ll help me gauge interest and keep me motivated and musing, hopefully.
“Treat, huh...?” He stares absently at the passersby along the park’s walkway, slouched on a stray bench.
“Treat... treat...”
“Hmm... chocolate? Roses? ... A... date...?”
“... But we’re already dating again... er... I think?” His anxieties spike once again because, well, what if she doesn’t consider what they’ve been doing as ‘dating’? Sure, it’s different from before, but...
Sigh.
“I... hope she sees it that way. But if none of that, then... what?” He’s in a rut trying to figure something out before tomorrow’s showcase, but the only other thing he can think of is...
“Ah-- No! Not that! A-Anything but that!” His face flushes and he’s beet red as he glances upon faces across the grass who have taken notice of his mumblings, shoving his hands into his pockets as he awkwardly stands and shuffles away.
Evander stands at the large, wooden doors that tower at the entrance of Harmony Headquarters. His eyes lock with the knobs, still uncertain, but ready. As his hands clasp the cold metal and push the doors open, he’s greeted by the Big Boss’s usual smile. It irritates him, but he doesn’t tell her that. “I’m taking the role. I just finished speaking with the director, so what was the other business you wanted to discuss?”
“Treat...?” He feels strange just repeating the word.
“Treat,” she echoes. “As in ‘trick or’?”
“I don’t follow.”
“The truth of the matter is that our little Amy has been working reeeaaally hard on this Halloween showcase in a couple of days, and I haven’t thought of her reward just yet. I need your help with that.”
“Shouldn’t you just... pay her? Like, isn’t that what you’re supposed to get out of doing a job?”
“I may or may not have pressured her into doing extra work at the expense of a prize, though?”
“... You’re kidding.” And there’s the Big Boss, straight-faced as usual. “... You’re not kidding. Just what do you expect me to do...?”
“Aren’t you the one who graduated as the highschool valedictorian? You’re smart--figure it out. In the meantime, get out of my office.”
“Wait, wha--”
“Shoo~!” She stands and proceeds to push Evander out the door. “Good luck!”
Trays clatter onto tables in Harmony’s dining commons, a wide array of aromas mixed into the air coming from different stalls ranging from instant foods to high-end cuisine. Evander sits alone at a booth, staring contemplatively at a chicken salad before an unexpected visitor joins him, a beaming grin on her face and a redhead tailing behind. “Hey there, mister star actor~”
“B-Boss! It’s rare to see you here on the ground floor.”
“Just thought I’d mingle with the commoners~” She laughs, lacing her fingers together and pressing her thumbs against the underside of her jaw as she tilts her head at the unfamiliar hue of Evander’s eyes. “That’s new. Oh-- Ion, go get me some coffee.”
“But you hate cof--”
“Just go, shoo.” She waves and Ion inwardly groans as she complies, leaving the two alone at the booth. “I have business to discuss with you, Mr. Castaneda.”
His eyes linger on Ion as she turns the corner and heads down the hall of establishments lining the floor. “What kind of business? I got a new role proposition recently, and if it’s about that, I’d... actually like some advice.”
“Well, it’s not, but I can spare some time to give my opinion on it since you’re bringing it up.” She doesn’t normally like talking about work-related business unless she has to, but there’s a special place in her schedule for the young man who went from a highschool nobody to the biggest star in Anvanum in only a month after his debut.
“... Well...” Where to start... “I’ve been thinking, and this new role isn’t... exactly... my type of role, if that makes sense.” Reaching down to where his bag is by the leg of his chair, he slips out a sample of the script and places it on the table in front of Jenci. “Over the years, I’ve been cast as the villainous badboy type, so I’m not sure if I can pull off this sort of... quiet, earnest character as well as the director would like.”
Flipping through the pages and skimming through lines of text, she hums in thought. “Are you saying you don’t think you can do it?” She glances up at him from the papers and catches his gaze as her whimsical tone drops in register, almost to a grumble. “... or are you saying you don’t want to?”
“I...” He’s almost offended--almost, but he realizes something. His eyes dart down to the page and he can feel his hand clenching slightly against the table. “I want to, I just--”
“So you just can’t do it. I suppose it can’t be helped, then. You can’t take a job if your abilities don’t measure up to the criteria.” Her tone is dull, but blunt. “Can’t waste the company’s resources on someone who won’t pull it off.”
“I can!” He freezes, realizing he just yelled at the company’s CEO, and with so many people around... he could feel the gazes on his back. “Er--”
“Good~ I knew I could convince you.” She sees his look of confusion and shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t know what you’re so afraid of to prevent you from taking a job that extends your horizons.” Her fingers unravel from each other and one glides up her cheek as she rests her head lazily to one side. “Or is it that this role is too real for you maybe? You don’t look like the villainous badboy type to me, Mr. Castaneda. You never did, quite frankly, and I think this role hits closer to home for you. I know it’s off the books and I shouldn’t talk about it, but your family problems... they’re similar to this character’s in the story, are they not?”
“Well, that’s true... but...” But he doesn’t really want to... to...
-- - “I know what the issue is.”
“Taking this role means facing your past... right? The case with the Forrester incident is closed to the rest of the world, but it’s something you still let linger in the back of your mind.” Evander’s lips purse tightly; his eyebrows crease and he’s not looking at Jenci. “No one else has confronted you about this yet, have they? Who’s taking care of your mother now? What effects have your actions had on your bandmates? Who are you to be able to influence so many other lives with your own like that? They just let you go on as you like because you’ve got the illusion of fame, fortune, and nonchalance about you, but you’re still really torn up inside, right?”
Silence. But he musters the voice to speak after a moment. “... I... Yeah. Yeah, I am.” His legs and back are aching from how tense he’s gotten, and his palms sting from how tight his fists are.
“Perfect. Then you can put that sort of energy into the character you’re portraying. It seems impossible to you right now, but just how good of an actor have you been if all you’ve really done is pretend to be people you’re not? You can’t bred personality without firsthand experience, and though I do understand that ‘fuckboy’ has been a part of your history, you and I both know you’re not undoing your pants for anyone these days.” She crossed a line just then, and she knows it. She sees Evander growing anxious, but she doesn’t relent.
“Mr. Castaneda, acting may be your job, but if acting in a role that’s not yours is all you can do without emitting genuine emotions, then I don’t need you to be part of this company. If you want to go back to stage performances, Spilled is just across the way, and I’m sure they’d be thrilled to adopt the fallen star of Harmony Records.” Hazel eyes narrow ever so slightly and her words drip venom. “Your playboy phase outside of work is over, so don’t try to live your glory days at work.” As Evander teeters over the edge of his wall of anxiety, she stands from her seat and slides her hands into her jeans pockets. “When you’re ready to take your job seriously, come talk to me in my office. This conversation’s ruined my mood, so I’ll bring up that other thing once we’ve both had time to cool off.” She turns away only to see Ion making her way toward them, carrying a tray of coffee. With a halfhearted smirk, Jenci takes the cup meant to be hers and places it on the table in front of Evander. “My treat. We’ll talk later.”
“...” He can’t help but follow the two with his eyes as they make their way to the elevator. His heart feels as if it’s going to erupt in his chest, but the next thing he knows, he’s dialing a number on his phone and hoping both that the other end is free and that there’s no answer at the same time.
[... Hello...?]
“...” He feels his entire body quake at the sound of her voice. “... Mom...? ... ... ... Yeah... It’s me. How... How have things been? ... Yeah, it’s... been a while. Gimme a sec to get somewhere more quiet.”
“It’s done!” A voice chimes out above the murmur of Harmony Records’s Fashion Department, forcing heads to lift from work and turn their gaze toward the source. A head of red hair pinned in a messy bun sits atop the figure of Amy standing triumphantly with her hands on her hips outside of her studio door. “Get the Big Boss over here!”
“Amy! Amy, Amy, Amy! My favorite redhead--”
“A-hem.” Ion holds her fist up to her mouth. “Your assistant is right here.”
And as if she didn’t hear it at all... “--I knew you could do it, see?” She claps her hands together and grins. “Now it’s time to talk about the event planning element of it--”
“Wait, what--”
“I told you, didn’t I? You’re in charge of the whole showcase, not just the designs. That means decorations, special performances, and even a little speech about this beautiful array you’ve designed!”
“W-Wait, but my other deadlines this month are--”
-- - “--extended.”
“I expect you to use any and all resources you need from any department. Don’t think about the costs--I’m sure your performance will make up for all of it. It always has~”
-- - “But--”
“No buts. No one else can make this happen but you~ But don’t worry either--the reward will be well worth it.” She saw Amy’s interest spark almost immediately. “We’ll discuss that later.” And with a dismissive wave, she turned and headed back to HQ. “Let’s go, Ion.”
“Sorry, sis... Ask me if you need to get in contact with any of the other departments.”
hidden in shadow } Below the cut is the official schedule for when the skit updates should be posted. I’ve completed almost all of the ones for this month, but beyond that, I hope I can keep up. Please note that I’m still making revisions, so some skits may be added in between those included in this schedule.
UPDATE: I will be switching to weekly updates when I fall behind schedule, meaning that updates will be posted some time during the weekends when I cannot get to writing them during the week.
Updates will likely be posted on Fridays and/or Saturdays in order to catch up to missed events, and then be released following the schedule once again.
28 October - Higher
29 October - Advice
30 October - [Treat] - DELAYED
31 October - Showcase - DELAYED
31 October - Slumber - DELAYED
1 November - Bittersweet Nothings - DELAYED
1 November - Early Morning Nothings - DELAYED
1 November - Nothing - DELAYED
8 November - Nerves - DELAYED
27 November - [Gift]
30 November - Testing, Testing
30 November - Take One
30 November - Take Two
1 December - Avoidance
1 December - Surfacing
8 December - Disturbance
10 December - Absence
11 December - Faltering
13 December - Bout of Relief
14 December - [Contemplation]
16 December - Advice from a Sister
17 December - Advice from a Friend
18 December - Advice from a Rival
21 December - A Shot in the Dark
22 December - Preparations
23 December - White Dress
24 December - The Perfect Eve
25 December - Don't Fail Me Now
25 December - Don't Look at Me
25 December - Don't Pull Away
25 December - DON'T STOOOP BELIIEEEVIN' Don't Stop Loving Me
I separated the skits by week since I might end up just trying to post weekly instead of exactly on the day. I’ll continue to update this post as I get things more finalized.
hidden in shadow } This is an official announcement that I am converting this blog into an exclusive story blog for Bel!Eve.
This is no longer a roleplaying blog.
Please feel free to unfollow this blog if you are not interested in continuing to follow the story. I will be unfollowing a multitude of blogs as a result of this decision, but if you decide to stick around, I am incredibly grateful to you.
This is only a temporary place for my story, and in the near future, this blog will become an archive after I finish transferring the story elements onto a new blog. The URL of that blog will be shared when it is complete, and this blog will once again become private.
Thank you for your constant patience with me, these muses, and this blog, and I hope our futures still continue to intertwine outside of the roleplaying world.
Silverware clanks against ceramic plates, a waltz of meats, vegetables and sauces perfectly paired dancing through the air. Emerald hues examine ones of amethyst, but they aren’t focused on him. Instead, they remain downcast, a fork absently poking at fillet mignon, letting the juices drench the vegetables in a dysfunctional harmony.
"Are you alright?” He rests his chin on an open palm, elbow on the table in what he would normally consider a rude manner, but seeing how she isn’t paying much attention, well... “You seem distracted.”
“... What?” Her tone is flat, her usual cheerful gleam nonexistent. “Sorry, I... have a lot on my mind.”
“Do you wanna talk about it?” He lifts his head in interest, a welcoming smile coaxing her to spill her troubles. “We have time.”
“I... just... I haven’t slept much for the past couple of days...” A weighty sigh escapes her, one bigger than any she’d let go before. “The Bis Boss has me running around with a new project, and paired with the work I already have, it’s...” She glances up at him, expecting the dejected, sympathetic look she’d gotten from others in her field, but is surprised at what she sees instead.
“That’s the Amy we all know and love, though. It’s not fair that you’ve been getting a good amount of sleep lately, you know--after all the nights you forced me to stay up and write lyrics and scores.” She laughs slightly and he feels a wave of relief wash over him. “There she is. You know, you don’t have to accept every work offer you receive. It’s okay to reject people.”
“I know, but... work is a good distraction. From a lot of things.”
“And any good thing should be taken in moderation. Swam yourself in work if that’s what you want to do, but leave enough time to get sleep and take regular breaks. You won’t feel good once it takes a toll on our health.”
The office bustle is reduced to a lull as business hours approach their end. With gaudy decorations of orange and black, bats nestle on the ceiling and along the walls, while a cauldron rests in the middle of the front lobby with a constant stream of glowing smoke flowing out from within. Phones continue to ring and the Big Boss’s secretary wanders the floor and into the Fashion Department’s main office.
“Sis!” she chimes, approaching Amy’s desk. “The boss has been trying to call you, y’know.”
“Oh, really? I’ve been back and forth away from my desk all day. She knows my cell number, though, so you’d think she’d try to contact me from there if it’s that important.” She receives a shrug and returns one as well as she plucks her desk phone up from the receiver, punching in her boss’s extension. “Wonder what she wants...”
“So? That expression doesn’t look good.” Which is weird because she looked so chipper on the phone just a few seconds ago. “You accepted an offer?”
“... Yeah. Looks like the Big Boss wants me in charge of a Halloween showcase event at the end of the month...”
“Wait, this suddenly? It’s already so late in the month!” She bites her bottom lip and frowns. “I thought she was putting someone else in charge of that.”
“She... says the other designer quit and that... if I have any pride, I’ll take the job and get it done... haha...”
“... And you... fell for that.” She can’t even be angry with Jenci if Amy was so easily swayed. “Good job, sis.”
hidden in shadow } I just came to check something an... wow, I gained so many unfavorable followers that I had to immediately block from when I was gone...
Anyway, I don’t intend to come back any time soon, so... I just want to let everyone know that it’s okay to unfollow me or hit me up via PM for my contact info. I’m probably rarely going to be on this blog anymore, and I’ll be shifting to an all-page hiatus theme for the time being for privacy purposes... Thank you for understanding. I might even end up making this blog into an archive, though I’m not sure yet, since I’ve already said I’d do so on multiple occasions. I’ve rarely RPed for a long time now, so I think it’s time to put this blog to rest and do something else with my time.
However!! I would be completely willing to RP on other platforms if anyone wishes to continue--Tumblr just... gives me anxiety whenever I look at it, and I don’t want to deal with that anymore. I’ve made a lot of great memories here, but I think it’s time for me to take a step back.
That’s not to say I won’t ever come back--just that it’s an uncertainty right now. Again, thank you for understanding. I will be logging into this account again periodically to ensure that I receive any and all personal messages, but please keep in mind that I spend most of my time on my art blog now, so that’s a much easier way to reach me--I have other contact info there, too.
I hope this isn’t the last time I talk to all of you, but I do suck at maintaining communication, so I hope y’all get my contact info while you can. //cries off to the side
But that’s enough being dramatic. Thank you for reading.
hidden in shadow } Hiatus until further notice. If anyone wants a starter upon my return, please feel free to like this post and I’ll get back to you–otherwise, you can find me sporadically on @sophistopuntia.
