date night; cocktail edition → @moonsonnet & @itsmariejanel
Hey, so, I wasn’t tagged by anyone but I knew from the moment I saw this one that I wanted to take part in it! It’s such a cute idea and I loved doing this. It took me longer than I thought it would because this is technically a render within a render. My computer suffered, but it came out very cute with the lighting. This is also the first render I’ve used my drawing tablet with so this is a lot of firsts going on for this challenge. Treating my followers to some Nick & Coraline because I’ve really missed these two! Make sure to check under the cut to see how the render looked without all the editing.
TAGGING: @renaldiroyals @hrhhouseofjackson @nexility-sims @bridgeportbritt @trentonsimblr @whitmoreroyals @armoricaroyalty @theroyalhouseofwinden and everyone else who wants to do this!
Wishing you a Christmas full of treasured memories; even the ones that make you a little bit sad 🎄✨
AUTHOR’S NOTE: When I tell you this post was a labour of love. I mean it. The GIFs alone took me an entire night! But I really think all my hard work paid off because, damn, this might be my favourite storypost to date. This post takes place around twenty years into the future and there are so many hidden hints and spoilers and some pretty balant ones too. The first speaking lines of Millicent, Florence, Imogen, Thomasin, Athena. And a special foreign royal making a cameo? It just makes me so excited for where this story is headed next year.
Thank you all for reading, commenting, and reblogging. It means so much to me. Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you all!
[MIA] Oh, dear, Mom!
[KATHERYN] So, this is, what, the rehearsal? There has to be a better word for this
[MIA] But that’s exactly what it is. I suppose they want us to think about what to say beforehand. It’s a cute idea, stop picking it apart, you sound like Dad
[KATHERYN] I’m not picking anything apart, I just find it odd that we don’t even own our home vid—Oh! She fell over again
[IRENE] Maybe we should get a chair, sweetheart
[JAQUELINE] Noooo, I can do it myself [giggles]
[KATHERYN] It’s so odd seeing her as a beginner. I only ever remember her being an expert. Talented from birth. Don’t laugh, but I used to be jealous. Everything I attempt turns to ashes, it seems
[MIA] Kat. You’re not responsible for Drake’s actions
[KATHERYN] Yet, here I am suffering the consequences anyway—you know what? Let’s just focus on the video. You’re right, it’s cute
[PHILLIP] Look, Jill, this is the Christmas tree and on Christmas morning, there will be lots of presents from Santa Claus but only for the good kids
[KATHERINE] Phillip, darling, you are far too old to still believe such things
[THOMASIN] Oh, my God, that is so fucking rude. How did he live with these people?
[MILLICENT] See? See? That’s the type of shit you cannot be saying, but you just can’t help yourself, can you?
[THOMASIN] Whatever, they can edit it. And why did they ask us to do this if they don’t want our actual opinions?
[MILLICENT] You think they care about our actual opinions?
[THOMASIN] Not really, but the fantasy is nice. Keeps me going
[MILLICENT] Does the word narcissist mean anything to you?
[THOMASIN] Don’t worry I’ll control myself this time, but only because they’ll blame Mom if I don’t
[Phyllis] What’s wrong with believing in Santa? I do. And, for the record, he thinks you’ve been very good this year, Phillip
[MILLICENT] Look, there’s Aunt Phyllis
[THOMASIN] Aw, she’s always been a sweetie
[THOMASIN] See? At least there’s one person on our side
[MILLICENT] One or two
[IMOGEN] It’s—that’s, uh, adorable
[FLORENCE] Right? Grandmother would love it, I don’t know why she tried to shut this whole thing down
[IMOGEN] All the pic—pic—pho-to-graphs of Grandfather make her [—] make it hard for her
[FLORENCE] Yeah, but I feel like the holidays should make it better at least
[IRENE] What are you looking at, mister?
[JAMES] I was looking for snow, the weatherman said it would
[???] Is that you? Because he looks like you . . . Dad?
[ATHENA] Dad? I was asking you a question
[NICHOLAS] Hm? Oh, no, that’s not me
[ATHENA] What’s wrong?
[NICHOLAS] I don’t think I can do this anymore, Tungsten
[ATHENA] Why? Is the video upsetting you?
[ATHENA] Then maybe we can do it together. That way maybe you’ll be less sad. And not embarrassed and it will be okay
[NICHOLAS] Athena, that video is of your grandfather when he was around your age
[ATHENA] Oh . . . Are you missing him?
[IRENE] If you’d like you can pick one present to open tonight. How does that sound?
[JAMES] Ooh, yes, please! I want the big one with the blue bow, Phillip and Jack think it’s a new bike or a scooter or something
[NICHOLAS] I miss him every day, but especially now. I need his help, but he’s not here anymore
[ATHENA] It’s making me sad, and I’m afraid that I’m going to embarrass myself tomorrow
[ATHENA] . . . Why did he die?
[NICHOLAS] I don’t know. He was very sad
[ATHENA] But he looks happy in the video
[NICHOLAS] I know, I remember him being very happy, too
[ATHENA] Then maybe you should think of him being happy and you’ll be happy, too. I know This because right now you’re sad and it’s making me sad too
[NICHOLAS] I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you upset
[ATHENA] It’s okay, I forgive you
[ATHENA] And I forgive you if you don’t do the video. I just want you to have a merry Christmas, Daddy
AUTHOR'S NOTE - I really think it's important to draw attention to how Phillip's public life has also taken a tumble since he's left the royal family. It's one thing for him to be dealing with his issues on his own, but he's also subject to a lot of public scrutiny and judgement that makes it even harder for him. He has very little control over how others view him.
All likes, comments and reblogs are greatly appreciated! Thank you for the support 💖
[NEWS ANCHOR #1] Can we talk about the third-in-line to the throne and . . . whatever his problem is?
[NEWS ANCHOR #2] Oh, we would need a whole two-hour segment for that. Honestly, I just find it so ridiculous that the Royal Family is still refusing to address the elephant in the room that the Duke of Woodbine has become
[NEWS ANCHOR #1] Yes, absolutely. It’s been several months since his last public appearance, with The Palace announcing that he permanently resigned from public duties back in June . . . I mean, to put it bluntly, he dropped off the earth . . . and now with these out-of-the-blue reports that he’s relinquished custody over his . . .
[NEWS ANCHOR #2] The whole thing is a complete disaster! Phillip’s popularity is the lowest it has ever been since the divorce. We don’t know where he is, what he’s doing, or what he’s spending. All his duties have either been abandoned or handed off to other members of the family, and I’m really struggling to have any sympathy for him due to the complete lack of transparency he owes us as a public figure. . .
[PHILLIP] I hate people so fucking much. There’s really no other way to say it, it would be a headache of the highest magnitude to go into any further detail. Everybody talks, that’s the first thing you learn in this lifestyle. But after over forty God damn years of it, you begin to wonder how much talk is really necessary
[PHILLIP] I wish the world would stop. There’s nothing left to discuss, everyone already knows I’m a monster. I already know I’m a monster, I don’t need it repeated to me, by people who don’t even know me, every day for the rest of my life. I know, they know it, everyone knows it. I wish this world would stop
[PHILLIP] One of the sweetest ironies of my life: I’m the most discussed man of my age, and yet I am hallow with loneliness. Have I ever been so lonely before? I’ve certainly never felt as worthless as I do now. Nothing is worth it anymore, I feel numb
[PHILLIP] I just want everything to stop, but if people are going to talk regardless, I might as well give them something horrific to speculate about for years to come
Wow, what a journey. It's hard to even process that I've been working on this story for a year. It doesn't even seem that long ago when I decided to start my own simblr on a whim after discovering blogs like @batsfromwesteros and @thegrimalldis. The number of improvements I've seen in my storytelling and editing has been crazy, and I can't wait to see how it evolves as even more time goes by. I work and think about my story every day.
Thanks to everyone who has supported me over these past twelve months. It doesn't matter if you like, reblog, send anons, or just read along privately, I really appreciate it. Your support means a lot to me and I really do feel welcome and comfortable here. I've met some amazing people and I've made so many new friends, it's unreal.
A lot can change in a year, and when I look at all the things I've accomplished in 2021: graduating from university, getting my first real job, returning to my hometown, etc. it's funny to think that this blog is the one thing I'm proudest of. It's supported me through all my ups and downs and I've devoted countless hours towards improving it. I can't wait to see how this community grows and evolves over time. Hopefully, this blog will be around for many more years to come.
Loving this new hair from @rustys-cc & @sentate’s Timeless Collection, it’s so effortlessly classy and sultry. It’s so great that I decided to give Athena a silk press just so she can wear it! I’ve been meaning to do something with these poses from @helgatisha for the longest time so I’m glad this collection finally gave me that spark of inspiration.
there’s a lil before and after for under the cut for you x
AUTHOR'S NOTE: And we're back with the first story post of the new year! I like this post is a bit more light and comical than the others we've seen so far. So I hope you enjoy some of the bright patches this story has to offer, they will be few and far between.
PS - Jean totally threw Phillip's clothes in the wash because she wanted him naked around her for a bit longer
All likes, comments and reblogs are greatly appreciated! Thank you for the support 💖
[PHILLIP] We don’t have to talk about it
[JEAN] I wasn’t going to ask
[PHILLIP] I should leave, it’s light out
[JEAN] Look. you’re not the first despondent man I’ve had sitting on the edge of my bed, and you probably won’t be the last. We don’t have to talk about it, but let’s not bullshit each other
[PHILLIP] That would be nice, but I’m not exactly out of practice bullshitting people
[JEAN] Clearly, Christian isn’t even your real name
[PHILLIP] I have four names, Christian is one of them
[JEAN] Oh God, maybe we should start there, with this royalty thing
[PHILLIP] That is the worst place to start if you don’t want bullshit
[JEAN]Well, forgive my curiosity, but I’ve never spoken to royalty. I’m not exactly up to royalty standards
[PHILLIP] Well, I’m not either, if that’s any consolation. Now, where did you—
[JEAN] They’re in the laundry
[PHILLIP] Jean. Why would you do that?
[JEAN] I don’t know, man, maybe because your clothes reek. Smoking that much can’t be good for you. They were stinking up my room. And my mom can’t know I’ve been—
[PHILLIP] Waitwaitwait. You live with your mother?
[JEAN] My mother lives with me, not that it’s your business
[PHILLIP] I want my clothing back, Jean
[JEAN] Relax, they’ll be done in twenty. In the meantime, I made coffee
[PHILLIP] I don’t like coffee, it’s bitter
[JEAN] If you want you can walk out of here in those oh-so-flattering boxer briefs. Show off that washboard stomach, give all those people out there a real reason to photograph you
I was inspired to do this challenge by @houseofcameliard and @thegrimalldis because a lot of my readers have speculated about what would've happened if Nicholas and Natasha had a child out of wedlock. I had a lot of readers tell me that they thought this would be canon, so I thought it would be fun to play around with this idea! It was also fun to reference @nexility-sims's favourite post of mine.
So let's do it: What could have been if Nicholas had an illegitimate child instead of Alex?
I've already stated that had a pregnancy occurred, Natasha and Nicholas would be pretty dead set on abortion. At the end of chapter two, neither wants anything to do with the other. However, I do feel if the public (and the royal family) became aware of the pregnancy abortion would be 1000% out of the question since it is, let's be honest, a pretty contentious issue. Louis would probably rear his head in and try to dominate the situation. Abortions and Warwicks don't mix, history has taught this lesson. Natasha and Nick would probably back out of terminating the pregnancy when faced with the societal repercussions of such a high-profile abortion.
And thus: Noelle Warwick-Whitley was born. Her mother named her Noelle because she wanted to stick with the 'N' theme and, plus, Noelle was a December baby.
Her parents would love her and try their best, but I don't think Noelle would have a very happy childhood. Her dad would always be distant and overly formal. Nick cannot hide the fact that he didn't want to be a dad and his own unresolved issues with his father would become harder to ignore. Solving these issues would mean that Nick would have to look inside himself and reevaluate his relationships with both his parents. It would be painful for him and he'd probably just end up being a stereotypical workaholic dad. Missing ballet recitals and birthdays, because he was too busy being the heir and later the king.
Her mother wouldn't be much better. Assuming this Natasha's story remains mostly unchanged from canon, she will largely be absent from her daughter's life. Noelle would think of Natasha as something grand and tragic, like a character from a movie, stumbling from one bad decision into the next. She'd resent her for not trying to stay with her father. Noelle would see her as weak.
But the main point of resentment in Noelle's life would come from Coraline (again, assuming Nick's storyline is also largely unchanged) . Noelle didn't know what true hatred was until she met Coraline Love. In Noelle's mind, Coraline was a reminder that her father wasn't incapable of love. He was just incapable of loving her. All the attention she craved so desperately as a child was now being showered in abundance over her stepmother and her half-siblings. Noelle would probably burn hatred at them, especially the eldest, Athena, who'd she'd be in constant one-sided competition with despite being ten years older.
"Why does the stupid throne get to pass to her when I'm the eldest?"
"Why does everyone always gawk at her? She's not even pretty. She doesn't even smile."
"Why does Dad prefer her to me? She doesn't even look like him." (Yes, the racism is implied in this one)
I think one of the bright patches is that she'd be well-liked by the public. She inherited her parents' charisma and is very good at both winning over the public and making friends who would do anything for her. Sadly, she'd sometimes feel like a phoney as this form of attention wouldn't compensate for the love she craved from her family. It would just feel like a cheap imitation of real love.
Noelle would probably become an antagonist for Nicholas's other children to endure. Maybe in the end I'd write her to come to terms with her issues and heal, perhaps she and Nick form an actual bond after that, but she would cause a lot of trouble as the wicked half-sister before that point. It would be interesting, wouldn't it?
I remember when we we're gambling to win
Everybody else said better luck next time
I don't wanna bend, let the bad girls bend
I just wanna be your friend
Why you giving me a hard time?
More and more and more and more . . . Is it ever gonna be enough?
