paradise players.

dependent rp blog for aytorp. home to cassian, arden, & kael. written by l.

[offmatch]

"  first  of  all,  paris  wasn't  even  in  my  top  five,  so  I  feel  a  little  attacked  right  now,  "  he  teases,  though  laugh  eludes  his  lips  as  he  shakes  his  head.  "  but,  honestly  ?  somewhere  in  new  zealand.  give  me  a  cabin  near  a  lake,  maybe  some  hiking  trails,  and  absolutely  no  one  expecting  me  to  answer  emails  or  make  decisions  for  a  month  ...  sounds  quite  reasonable  to  me,  and  what  about  you  ?  where  would  you  go  ?  "

[paradiseplayers]

a grin spread across her face. "new zealand feels like the kind of place people pick because they actually want to go there, not because they're trying to sound interesting. a cabin by a lake for a month sounds suspiciously peaceful, though. you seem like somebody who's responsible for a lot of things, but the 'no one expecting me to answer emails or make decisions' part sounded very specific." her smile softened. "i think I'd go somewhere completely opposite. maybe vietnam, or the philippines. somewhere i've never been where every day would feel different from the one before it. the problem is i'd make it about two days before deciding to take a random flight somewhere else." looking back at him, she pointed lightly. "that's the difference between us. you want a quiet lake and a month of peace, i want an adventure i can't explain properly when i get home. though i do respect anybody whose fantasy vacation involves disappearing from their inbox."

[solisfm]

"Thank you," she says, blowing a kiss his way. "I hope I get an invite to the wedding. I make a mean flower girl." She ended up being a flower girl for her friend right before she left with a full choreography with the ring bearer. "Would Jett kill you? Don't tell me you two have similar types. Eskimo brothers?"

[paradiseplayers]

van let out a laugh, shaking his head. "i feel like you're getting way too excited about the flower girl position." he groaned when he mentioned jett. "god, no. if anything, we'd go out of our way to avoid the same type. mostly because we're competitive enough that it'd turn into a legal issue. but if we're being honest, jett's type is usually whoever looks most likely to ruin his week. mine tends to be people who make my life easier. so no, i think we're safe from becoming eskimo brothers. at least until he inevitably disagrees with me in front of the entire villa."

[solisfm]

"Okay, where would you go?" he asks, joining her on the lounge next to them. Paris was the last place he'd even consider. It was not even in his top ten places to visit. He loved, love, but the French lowkey terrified him. He'd have to put the Louvre on hold for a little bit. "I imagine the Eiffel Tower is somewhat anticlimactic. It's manipulated iron." From his travels, he tended to find that the off-beaten path usually had more of the cooler spots and hidden gems. "Yeah, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, honestly. I think the culture is so vibrant, the philosophy is intriguing, and yeah, who wouldn't want to get on a bullet train and check out their insane infrastructure? Plus premium sushi and wagyu? You can't beat it. "

[paradiseplayers]

"now you're just showing off. japan, australia, and new zealand? that's basically three different bucket-list trips. the fact that your answer included philosophy, infrastructure, and food tells me you've thought about this way more than the average person." when he mentioned the eiffel tower being manipulated iron, she let out an offended gasp. "that is the least romantic description of paris i've ever heard. you're lucky you followed it up with premium sushi and wagyu or i would've had to hold that against you. i do get it, though. the places that stick with you are usually the ones that feel completely different from your normal life. i think that's why i'd struggle to pick just one place. i'd want the version of the trip where i accidentally miss a train, get lost somewhere beautiful, and come home with stories that sound made up." looking back at him, she smiled. "so you're telling me if someone handed you a ticket tomorrow, you'd actually pack a bag and go?"

[solisfm]

"I mean, I'm in a foreign country, trapped in a house with a bunch of attractive people. I'm very much in a hostage situation," she clarifies. "Not a cop-out. Making sure you're aware you have competition. So, you'll have to work for my attention." There were a handful of men Valentina could envision herself with, but there was clearly someone in here who was deemed her match. Was it Jett? "Glad to know where I stand and who I have to watch out for." Mila was gorgeous, and she was from Miami, so the two definitely would get along, no question. "And what emotional baggage did you bring that you have to unpack?"

[paradiseplayers]

"competition?" he repeated, placing a hand over his chest in mock offense. "valentina, i've known you for approximately six minutes and you're already threatening me with competition." the grin never left his face. he liked that she pushed back. most people either flirted or argued, but she somehow managed to do both at the same time. then came the dangerous question. his eyes narrowed slightly. "that's how they get you. one minute we're talking about crushes and the next you're asking me to unpack my childhood." still, he considered it. "i think i get bored too easily. the second something feels predictable, i start looking for the exit. what's the emotional baggage you're bringing into our very normal, not-at-all-hostage situation?"

[offmatch]

"  you  really  had  to  pick  the  girl  who  spent  thirty  minutes  trying  to  decide  which  pajamas  to  wear  last  night,  huh  ?  "  tone  teasing,  as  she  holds  up  two  different  outfits  before  looking  over  her  shoulder  with  a  bright  grin.  "  i'm  not  complainin',  though  i'm  actually  really  happy  you  chose  me.  "  her  gaze  dropped  briefly  to  the  clothes  in  her  hands  before  lifting  again,  "  I  will  admit,  I  was  a  little  surprised.  not  in  a  bad  way.  just  that  I  didn't  think  I  would  be  your  first  pick.  " ( @paradiseplayers )

[paradiseplayers]

van glanced up from where he was sitting, eyes moving between the two outfits in her hands before landing back on her. "that's exactly why i picked you. anybody willing to dedicate thirty minutes to a pajama decision is clearly taking life seriously." the deadpan delivery lasted all of two seconds before he laughed. truthfully, he found the whole thing kind of endearing. the overthinking, the sincerity, the fact that sutton didn't seem interested in pretending she was cooler than she actually was. when she admitted she'd been surprised, his expression softened. "really? i thought i made it pretty obvious." maybe not obvious, but he hadn't hidden it. the bracelet still sat around his wrist and he lifted it slightly. "you gave everybody one of these, but you're the only person i can remember having an entire conversation with because of it. everything with you's been easy, and after spending a few days in a villa designed to make everyone overthink everything, that felt worth paying attention to." a smile returned as he motioned toward the outfits. "now, for the record, i think the one on the left wins. but if i'm wrong and this somehow becomes a defining moment in our relationship, i'd like it officially noted that you asked."

[offmatch]

"  well,  my  mama  always  taught  me  never  to  show  up  somewhere  empty  handed,  and  this  was  about  the  easiest  way  to  make  sure  I  didn't  ...  besides,  she  runs  her  own  little  jewelry  boutique  back  home,  "  a  soft  laugh  slipping  past  her  lips  as  she  thought  back  to  her  mother's  excitement  the  moment  she  told  her  she  was  coming  on  the  show.  truth  be  told,  brooks  had  always  made  it  sound  like  some  reality  television  train  wreck,  all  this  drama  and  bad  decision  making,  yet  somehow  he  had  walked  away  married.  and,  if  she  was  being  honest,  she  couldn't  have  been  prouder  of  him  for  it  ...  the  thought  alone  brought  a  smile  to  her  lips  as  she  settled  a  little  more  comfortably,  tucking  her  feet  beneath  her  frame  while  her  attention  remained  on  him.  "  well,  don't  you  worry,  i'm  holdin'  you  to  it  when  the  time  comes  and  you  end  up  with  your  match,  "  a  playful  wink  accompanying  her  words  before  curious  cerulean  hues  linger  on  his  wrist  for  a  moment.  "  but  tell  me  somethin'  ...  if  you  were  a  charm,  what  would  you  be  ?  "

[paradiseplayers]

"if i were a charm? hm, not something exciting. i think i'd be one of those compass charms. not because i always know where i'm going, most of the time i don't, but i usually know where the people i care about are supposed to be headed. i'm good at helping other people find their way, whether they ask me to or not." he grinned. "which, now that i'm saying it out loud, sounds suspiciously close to a personality flaw." tilting his head slightly, he pointed toward the bracelet she'd given him. "alright, your turn. what charm are you, sutton?"

[offmatch]

"  ohhh  come  on  now,  I  know  we're  in  barcelona  and  all,  but  a  little  southern  hospitality  never  hurt  anybody,  "  a  soft  laugh  slipping  past  her  lips  as  she  rummaged  through  the  contents  of  her  suitcase,  pulling  out  a  handful  of  delicate  charm  bracelets.  "  got  these  made  for  everyone  before  we  left.  nothin'  too  fancy,  just  a  little  somethin'  to  kick  start  our  journey,  "  slender  wrist  extending  to  show  off  the  bracelet  she  had  been  wearing,  as  charms  softly  clinked  together  with  evert  movement.  "  i've  had  mine  since  I  was  a  child.  I  figured  it  couldn't  hurt  to  carry  a  little  extra  luck  around  with  me,  "  a  smile  tugging  at  the  corners  of  her  lips,  as  she  hands  one  of  the  bracelets  over  to  them,  "  consider  this  me  passin'  along  some  good  vibes.  lord  knows  we're  gonna  need  all  the  help  we  can  get  if  we're  gonna  do  better  at  findin'  our  matches  than  the  folks  before  us.  "

[paradiseplayers]

this wasn't what he'd expected from day one, not even close. a small smile appeared as he fastened it around his wrist. "thank you. my grandma used to believe in things like this. lucky charms, traditions, small things that reminded you where you came from. you somehow managed to make a villa full of strangers feel a little less strange." a faint laugh escaped him. "probably the nicest thing anybody's done since we got here. if i end up finding my match, we're all agreeing this bracelet gets at least partial credit."

[perfectmvtch]

"i mean, i was close. i was also about to say iceland, but that's been on my list before i even saw it on instagram." king chuckled. "exactly, the people who go there talk so highly about it that it gives you fomo even when you hadn't planned on going there to begin with." he said before showing her a warm smile. "i'm sure you look cute all the time. i'm sure you look at the mirror, nod your head and just go, 'good job, me' all the time and i wouldn't blame you if you did." king teasingly said, chuckling even more before nodding. "i think paris has a better reputation than it should have, if you ask me. it's supposed to be the city of love, but aren't french people well known to be so in love with love that they excuse affairs? something to think about." he added with a thoughtful expression, but the smile never left his lips. "listen," king started to say as he laughed at her words. "it's just what i'm used to. have you seen our winters? how horrible they can get? how important hockey is to us?"

[paradiseplayers]

"iceland is a much better answer. iceland says, i want adventure, paris says, i watched one romance movie and made it my entire personality." at the compliment, she let out a dramatic sigh and placed a hand over her heart. "finally, somebody understands me. every morning i stand in front of the mirror and say, libby, the world is lucky you're participating today. then i trip over something and get humbled immediately." the laugh that followed came easier than she'd expected. king was easy to talk to. his thoughts on paris made her snort into her drink. "that's the hottest take i've heard all day. you walk into a villa full of strangers and immediately start attacking both paris and the french, bold." when he mentioned canadian winters, libby groaned. "no, absolutely not. you're talking to somebody who owns approximately seventeen jackets and still complains when it drops below sixty degrees." her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "actually, I think we've figured it out. you're not emotionally stable, you're just canadian. anybody who voluntarily describes a place with brutal winters as comforting has either achieved inner peace or been stockholm-syndromed by snow."

[perfectmvtch]

"but trust me when i say i'm probably the one freaking out the most out here." ava said with a sheepish smile. "it's kind of hard not to talk about it when i thought i was seeing double at first." she added before raising her eyebrows at him. "so i take it you're here for the love aspect of the show?" she asked before looking out at the view with a satisfied sigh. "i'm an author. i wouldn't say this is the hands-on journalism i needed, but i figured... i write so much about love, almost to the point where i feel like i'm hiding behind the characters and the tropes and the storylines that i forget i have my own real life love stories just waiting to happen, and not happening because i'd rather be inside writing, or reading." ava admitted. "figured it was a now or never situation, and i figured worst-case scenario, i'd have something new to write about or at the very least, some inspiration. would you say you read a lot?"

[paradiseplayers]

"you seem calm, which i've learned tonight usually means the exact opposite." the mention of seeing double earned another laugh. "that's fair. we spent twenty-five years weaponizing that against people. you'd be surprised how many situations can be improved by convincing someone they imagined a whole conversation." he took a second before answering her question. "i think so." he'd spent years claiming he was too busy for things that mattered. "i'm here for the love part. the money's nice, 'ife-changing, obviously, but i already know how to build a career. the relationship part has been significantly less successful." when she finished speaking, he looked over at her for a moment. "i like that. the idea that you got tired of writing other people's love stories. that's actually a pretty brave reason to come here." at her question about reading, he smiled. "not nearly as much as I should. mostly biographies, history, business books, so probably the least interesting answer you could've gotten. what's the last book that made you stay up way too late because you couldn't stop reading?"

[perfectmvtch]

"making entire playlists before deciding whether you like someone? how does that logic play out? like, make it make sense to me because i don't really get that. probably because i don't think i've ever made a playlist for someone in my life." kaan admitted, more curious than anything. "and that's a tough lesson to learn. i know i had to learn that the hard way too, but i agree. i'd even go so far as to say that's the bare minimum because if your actions don't match your words, then you're really just a liar. or a politician in the making. both are pretty much the same thing." he shrugged. "you're sweet." kaan said, smiling a little. probably the first organic smile he'd made in the house. "no, i think anyone who makes you feel crazy in that sense should immediately be written off, but i think that's also because i have zero tolerance for liars." kaan admitted. "let me guess, you started feeling some type of way and instead of just being upfront about things or giving you reassurance, he made you feel like you were crazy to even ask to begin with?" he asked, raising his eyebrow at her. "yeah, i think this is better. i'd rather skip over the bullshit and just get straight to it, you know? i want to see what you're about, and why you're here. try to see if this could be something, and i honestly also want to win this whole damn thing. i know it's early, but i'd rather know." kaan said before gesturing to her hand. "you want another drink before we start talking about family trauma this time or you want a breather?" he jokingly asked.

[paradiseplayers]

"that's because you're approaching playlists like they're a gift, they're not. they're evidence. if i start associating songs with you, it means you're taking up space in my brain. if you get your own playlist, it's basically over for me. so congratulations, you just got a terrifying amount of insight into how my brain works." at his comment about liars and politicians, she laughed again, shaking her head. "now that one i agree with." and she did. it was refreshing how direct he was, maybe a little dangerous too. as he pieced together what had happened with her ex, her expression changed. a little surprised, a little impressed. "hat's... actually exactly what happened. every conversation somehow became about me being insecure or overthinking or not trusting him enough. the funny thing is, i trusted him a lot longer than I should have. i think that's what made me finally realize something was wrong, i'm not actually a suspicious person." looking back up at him, she tilted her head. "so now look at us, two people with zero tolerance for liars somehow ending up on a reality dating show." when he mentioned winning, her eyebrows rose. "oh, you're competitive competitive. also, i need time to process the fact that you just managed to ask me about cheating, trust issues, and my dating history before learning my favorite color. that's insane behavior."

[perfectmvtch]

candy shook her head at him, but there was a playful smile on her lips. "a crush is totally acceptable. just not in the first three hours. maybe four. definitely five. after a whole day? even better." she said, letting out a laugh. "there you go again with the words that remind me of school. careful now. keep going and i just might have to call you a nerd." candy smirked. "oh, c'mon. it'll be our little secret."

[paradiseplayers]

"five hours? look at that, we're already negotiating relationship milestones. by tomorrow you'll be telling me attraction isn't allowed until we've exchanged tax returns and childhood trauma." the nerd comment earned an exaggerated look of offense. "whoa, not nerd. extremely handsome intellectual. somebody in this villa needs to be using their brain. i'm pretty sure half the cast is one tequila soda away from declaring eternal love." when she attempted to pry names out of him, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "our little secret? that's exactly the kind of sentence that gets people into trouble on this show." still, he leaned in slightly, lowering his voice as though he were genuinely considering it. "hypothetically? if i told you, you'd immediately start looking around the room trying to figure out who it was. i think watching you investigate might be more entertaining than giving you the answer."

[solisfm]

"Why do I feel like this is a trick?" She eyes him for any indication of such feeling. "If I say you, it could be good, could be bad. If I don't say you, it could be good, could be bad." Stage-four clinger this early in the process was not a good way to kick things off. Her goal was to be more emotionally stable, but even her cousins were betting against that. "I'll just say for now, they're dark and handsome. You?"

[paradiseplayers]

"you're already treating it like a hostage negotiation." the grin on his face widened as she tried to game out every possible outcome. "fair assessment. dark and handsome is such a cop-out answer, by the way. that's like seventy percent of the cast, which unfortunately includes me, so i can't even argue with it." he pretended to think about her question. "hmm, i think crush is still a strong word, but if we're talking about people i've noticed? mila's hard to miss, so are you. ask me again in three days. right now we're all just hot strangers with emotional baggage and matching bracelets."

[solisfm]

"Japan. Hands down." It's been on his bucket list for a while. Kyoto, Osaka, and Tokyo. He'd be more than thrilled to spend a month immersed in the culture and people. "Paris too cliché for you as the city of love?"

[paradiseplayers]

"okay, that's a good answer. japan feels like an actual adventure." leaning back into the lounge chair, she tucked a leg underneath herself. "i feel like if somebody gave me a month and said, go disappear, i'd want to come back feeling like i lived an entirely different life. meanwhile paris is always the answer people think they're supposed to give." she laughed at his question. "no, i love paris. i just don't trust people who answer paris immediately because then i start wondering if they genuinely want to wander through little cafés and museums or if they just want to stare dramatically at the eiffel tower while a movie soundtrack plays in the background." her smile softened. "japan, though. that's been on your list for a while? what's the thing you're actually excited about? the food? the cities? the culture? or are you secretly one of those people who's dying to ride a bullet train?"

[solisfm]

WHO: Anyone! WHERE: The Pool Deck

"Alright…twenty-four hours in. Fuck, marry, kill, or kiss. Go."

[paradiseplayers]

van stared at her. "twenty-four hours, that's insane. marry sutton, kiss ava, fuck... that's a dangerous question." a faint smile appeared. "you since you asked. and kill jett before he answers because i already know it's going to create problems."

[solisfm]

WHO: Anyone! WHERE: Anywhere in the villa!

Vibes were good. Everyone was chatting with one another, already sussing out who potentially could be their person. There were nine women he had to filter through, and hopefully, he not only came out successful, but the house as a whole. Yet, he'd be naive to consider it to be just that simple. "I'm just curious and no judgment from me…what's your end goal with all of this?"

[paradiseplayers]

"i think my answer is probably the least exciting one in the villa. i really am here for love. i spend most of my life helping other people plan weddings. i've watched hundreds of people promise forever to each other. i'd like to know if that kind of thing actually exists for me too. the money would be incredible, but if I leave here with the right person, i'd consider that the bigger win."

[aytohost]

solely based on first looks, who would you say is your type?

[paradiseplayers]

"physically? cade. he looks like he'd convince me to do something irresponsible. maybe zoran. this feels like information i should keep to myself because i already know that's probably a bad idea."

[aytohost]

solely based on first looks, who would you say is your type?

[paradiseplayers]

"king. i don't know, he seems comfortable in who he is. and cameron. watch both of those answers age horribly."