never let it fade away

By Royal Decree

The Southern Kingdom will be holding a masquerade ball in honor of All Hallow’s Eve.

It will take place in three days’ time, lasting from dusk until dawn, in the grand ballroom of the McCarthy Castle at Evertide. Come to eat, drink, and be merry; with dancing and music, with the finest food and drink. All are welcome, regardless of race, class, or status – the entry fee is whatever you wish, as long as it is neither coin nor bill. Please be creative and give us something interesting.

Guests must be masked in order to enter. A prize will be awarded for the best costume. We reserve the right to refuse entry to those not costumed, and of course, we’ll decide what constitutes a proper costume.

We can’t wait to see you there!

A ball? On three day’s notice??? Royalty, honestly...

What a wonderful idea, My Lady! I’m looking forward to this celebration immensely, if I do say so. What sort of food might you want served at this beautiful gala, if I might ask? Just so I can start working up a menu for your approval! I do so love celebrations like this, I’m looking forward to making it a special evening!

I think it’s very generous and kind of you to put this on, My Lady.

quinnaissance-blog1

summers hell | open ftf

Quinn pulled her cloak a little bit tighter around her body as she approached the outskirts of the tiny beach town. “Welcome to Summershell,” the sign read, and she let out a sigh. More like Summer’s hell than Summer shell, if the quaint little buildings and simple little people beyond said sign were any indication. Under ordinary circumstances, she’d be utterly miserable there – which made it the perfect place to regroup and collect her bearings while figuring out what to do and where to go next.

Because these weren’t ordinary circumstances, and hadn’t been for several months. The journey southward had been a long one, with her rest stops being few and far between; she hadn’t been keen on accepting rides from strangers on account of being on the run herself, and not knowing whether there was actually a bounty on her head or not. It was better not to risk it. This sad little tourist trap would be a good place to disappear among the crowds, to blend in without attracting attention, and maybe – just maybe – get herself cleaned up and fed properly.

With some resolve, she strode forward down the path, keeping a watchful eye on the passersby, the street names and shop signs, looking for an inn or tavern where she wouldn’t attract too much notice.

#f2f: all #f2f: quinn #quinn: all #f2f: summers hell

Rachel tried not to spend her days entirely locked in the McCarthy castle; plus, when she sent her minions to town, there was an even chance that the wouldn’t even come back with the right ingredients, even when she provided them with a list.

So, Rachel did the shopping. She had a few bags slung over her arm and was examining her remaining list when she all but ran into--

The most beautiful girl she had ever seen.

“Oh, no, I’m so sorry,” Rachel apologized, steadying herself and the girl with her free hand. Thankfully neither of them had fully crashed into each other, neither of them had gone sprawling through the dirty path. Rachel never would have gotten over the embarrassment.

“Are you alright? I’m so sorry, I should been watching where I was going more carefully.”

Yogi? Like the bear? This just keeps getting better. You dance too? I’d certainly like to see that. Do you wear those… um, leotards, by any chance? Yes, I have been lucky enough to be blessed a fairly good tone naturally.

PM: She’s the oldest. Even if it’s only by a few minutes. So she has a lot of… thoughts on how the kingdom should be run and as it’s her right to so, my own thoughts aren’t always taken into consideration quite as much. She thinks she’s taking care of me, of course.

I--yes, like the bear, but I don’t believe the cartoon bear ever actually practiced. I think that was just his name, My Lord. And yes, I do wear a leotard, especially for practice. If I were to be in a show, I’d wear whatever costume was appropriate for my part, of course. If I ever join a performance again, I’ll be sure to invite you, sir! Do you dance, My Lord?

PM: Of course, My Lord. It’s...I don’t mean to step out of my place, My Lord, or make any sort of comparative statement, but in my experience, the people who love us the most and try to take care of us don’t always actually take into consideration what we actually might want or need. What sort of thoughts do you have about the kingdom, My Lord?

I must admit, I am quite flexible. I assume the same can be said of you if you’e a frequent… yoga-er?

PM: It’s not that she doesn’t pay attention to me. Her attention just tends to lean more toward her telling me what to do, than listening to what I’m saying. I don’t doubt that, gorgeous. Sometimes I just wonder what that really means.

Yogi, My Lord, is the term, and yes, I am quite limber. One has to be light on one’s toes to keep up in a kitchen like mine, and I’ve found that yoga and dancing keep me in excellent shape. It’s a lovely way to improve muscle tone...not that you need help with anything like that, My Lord.

PM: I think it could mean whatever you want it to mean, My Lord. What sort of things do you say to her that she doesn’t listen to? As another ‘bossy’ and ‘overbearing’ woman, I can imagine what Princess Madison must be up against, but...still. You’re her brother. She should listen to you, not just order you around like...like you aren’t also a Prince and a master of this castle, My Lord.

#dash: all #dash: mason #mason: all #// strikes private to mase~

it c i masonofthenight:

I wouldn’t worry too much, I’m not always sure she pays any attention to what I say anyway. She tends to prefer I exhibit my power though… as royalty, of course. She might not like to hear about me feeling insignificant.

I’m not entirely sure that yoga and I would mix all that well.

Yoga mixes well with everyone, My Lord, and I’m sure you wouldn’t be an exception on that front, however exceptional you might be on several other fronts. Being royalty, of course. If you’re ever interested, I would be delighted to teach you.

I’m sorry she doesn’t pay attention to you, My Lord. She should, if I may be so bold. I assure you, you’re very significant here in this castle. I know that might not help the feeling, but it’s still true, My Lord.

Well, we’d never work you so hard as to not let you sit or drink water. That’s just unhealthy, and we need valuable, talented workers like yourself to be at the top of their games.

Let’s hope that you’re able to teach your sous chef enough to keep your kitchen fully functional in your absence. I know you’d hate to disappoint us.

Thank you, My Lady. I assure you, my staff is very well-trained; I encourage their creativity while I’m not there to immediately oversee them. Sometimes they even have a brilliant idea or two! Not anything I wouldn’t have thought of, of course, but respectable all the same. My kitchen is more than functional without me in it for a couple of days. I wouldn’t be a very good head chef if it weren’t, after all, no?

How is your weekend going, My Lady?

How long do you think you can go without taking a break? What do you think might happen if you worked straight through that?

I’ve worked twelve and fifteen hour shifts before, my lady - not here, of course, in other less friendly, worker-supportive environments, but if it were truly without a break, without even sitting down or getting water, I’d imagine I could work for maybe eight or nine hours? Though since this isn’t a restaurant kitchen I don’t know why something like that would be necessary.

If you mean in terms of days, I’ve worked for two and a half weeks straight before, but I did need a couple of days to recover from that. I love cooking, but after that long even I needed a bit of distance from the kitchen.

You know, if you’d like to continue working, that can be arranged.

Oh, thank you, but no matter how much I would like to be in the kitchen every hour of every day, I think you might find that the quality of food I presented might slip if I didn’t get out and see the sun every now and again. Besides, anecdotal complaints aside, my staff is very competent and I have every confidence that you’ll barely notice the difference. You’ll still notice it, of course, since none of them are me, but the dip in quality will hopefully be slight. If it proves unsatisfactory, I’ll be sure to either let the ones that have disappointed us go, or give them a refresher on the level of chef the McCarthys require, My Lady.

juliettesmythe

Yes, our family works for royalty as well. I know how… particular they can be. I do hope they appreciate all your hard work and provide you with the finest ingredients.

I’m from the Northern Kingdom.

#dash: all #dash: sebastian #sebastian: all #// okay but seb tryna protect rach from the scary vamps

The Northern Kingdom? Goodness, you are far from home. Welcome! I hope the people have been treating you kindly. What brings you to these parts?

And yes, they’re treating me quite well! They’re really not very particular at all, at least about their food, and they always make sure I have exactly what I need to make them the best meals I can. They’re very kind people. Everyone here is.

Something like that, yes. At times I feel rather insignificant. Don’t tell my sister I said that though. But it intrigues me, looking up at something so vast, wondering if it had anything to do with… why I’ve ended up where I am.

My apologies if I’m getting too deep. Is that that thing where one becomes a pretzel?

Oh, no, my lord, I don’t think you’re getting ‘too deep’. I’m very interested in what you have to say - I don’t think it’s at all unusual to feel rather insignificant sometimes. I know I’ve felt that way, more times than I care to admit, but...if I may be so bold, my lord, if you don’t want My Lady to know something, in the future you might not want to post it on a public website. Although I’m sure she would understand the feeling, at least somewhat? Or at least understand why you might feel that way. I don’t have siblings myself, but from what I understand they’re generally supportive by nature, aren’t they?

That is the thing where one becomes a pretzel, although that is a rather advanced stretch. We wouldn’t start you out as a pretzel, if you were even interested in learning more about it. Yoga is very easy to get into, especially for beginners.

juliettesmythe

Interesting. Truly. Don’t know much about preparing myself, but I do enjoy eating. My name’s Sebastian. I’m… not from around here.

Working for the McCarthys is a dream job? Who knew?

#dash: all #dash: sebastian #sebastian: all

Sebastian! What a lovely name. My name is Rachel Berry ⭐ and it is a pleasure to meet you. There’s nothing wrong with that--the point of food is to be eaten, after all! Between the two of us, we’ve got all the aspects of food covered. Except for the farming side of it, of course, given that we don’t raise our own animals or grow our own vegetables. I have my little herb garden, of course, but tarragon and oregano and thyme do not a dinner make! Especially not for royalty.

I certainly didn’t when I first came, but I’m incredibly pleased to report that that’s the case. Where are you from, if not from ‘around here’, Sebastian?

I doubt you need know them to cook a delicious meal, so I wouldn’t worry too much. I suppose you might say that. I just find it interesting. The… epicness of it all.

Mmm, I find my mind begins to work on overdrive if I don’t take some time to calm it. Starts to make my head hurt, you know?

It’s true that astronomy doesn’t come up too frequently in the kitchen, but I think they’re beautiful. Stars are sort of personally important to me, Sir, so I think it might be worth learning a bit more about them. Is it the stories that fascinate you, my lord? How we humans build mythos and legends over the universe’s random vastness?

Have you tried yoga, my lord? I find that helps calm me down when I start to get overwhelmed.

juliettesmythe

Triple strained duck sauce. The horror.

You work in the castle, do you?

#dash: all #dash: sebastian #sebastian: all

Exactly! Thank you. Everyone knows that it should be double-strained; once is too clunky and three times is basically water. It’s so refreshing to meet someone who understands the culinary nightmare I witnessed in my own kitchen. May I inquire as to your name? I don’t believe we’ve met before.

I do. I’m head chef there; it’s a dream job, to be completely honest with you.

It’s hardly putting myself out when I spend time up there anyway. It’s my favorite spot in the castle. I try to spend at least a little bit of time up there a night, so long as the weather allows it. It helps clear my head. And I don’t mind company in the least. Do you know much about constellations, darling?

I promise there’s nothing like the roof.

I know some, my lord, but perhaps not as much as I should? I’m afraid I never had much time to study the sky, but I know where Polaris is at least! Are you an astronomer, sir?

That sounds like a lovely habit, my lord. Very calming. It’s very healthy to find some way to find a peace - especially someone like you who must work so hard. I’d love to join you whenever you like, sir. It’s very generous of you to share your favorite place with me.

#we dont have a starter tag yet~~~#dash: all #also pretend this was earlier in the day ok

Well, it seems as though I’ve been afforded two whole days off in a row! I’d love to have something other than resting and reading to do during them - if anyone has any suggestions of how I might spend them, I’d be glad to take it under advisement! My sous chef has told me that hanging out in the kitchen on my day off--just to supervise!--is not an acceptable way to spend my time. Which seems patently ridiculous. I think she was just saying that because I caught her triple-straining the duck-sauce, and everyone knows that makes it watery.

Still, I suppose I should use this website for its intended purpose - connecting with fellow people and perhaps discovering a hitherto unknown hobby or passion! So, please feel free to let me know if you have any favorite things you do that I could also participate in! Thank you in advance for your assistance! ⭐

I calls ‘em like I sees ‘em, pretty girl.

It wasn’t packed full of action or anything. My sister and I did some stargazing up on the roof. The view is quite stunning up there. Perhaps you could join me some time.

Oh--oh, well, thank you for that offer, Sir, I’d love that, if situation arises. Please don’t feel you have to put yourself out for me, though; I’m sure you’re quite busy enough with taking your kitchen workers stargazing. What with being a prince and all!

I’m sure the view is almost as good from my room, Sir. Although of course I wouldn’t pass on the opportunity to get to know you better, Sir.