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Well, at least you recognize a reason for it. But obviously, this whole post wasn't directed towards anyone specific ... Though, I do admit and Adrian has been pretty over the top, haha.

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I feel like I need to address the ~late at night happenings~ as well, because it's a common complaint.

To be straight-forward: If you don't want things to happen at night, make good use of the mornings / afternoons. This is a team effort and it not left up to one person to do, obviously. But keep your eye on progression and communicate.

If I spend all day waiting for a decision to be made, waiting for people to post and move along, waiting, then obviously things will more likely progress at night.

We've got four days (sometimes more) and when there's an event or a decision to be made, it's always right there in front of you. It's your choice when you decide to vote, if you're around.

On the flip side, if we don't do anything productive until the last minute, then choices will have to be made later, too.

For the most part, I've been unusually generous with counters. I think there have been two so far, and none for the recent deaths / situations. Last night, something happened, but I haven't killed anyone off. The punishment for not being around wasn't death.

Again, there have only been three 'major' occurrences.

Fire, accident, mist.

The only time deaths were a result of it being 'late at night' = the last mist occurrence. And that resulted in a wrong and an a do over, which, has not resulted in any deaths or anything.

The only fire causality = Alice (planned).

The ferry causalities were only supposed to be 1, but it was more because people decided to post when they didn't have to lol (and also because Mindstorm killed off Toni).

Honestly, looking at it, not /that much/ has gone down, and most of what has has been preventable.

If things happened often in the morning, there would be 'I'm at school / work' complaints. In the afternoon / evening, 'I'm at work / school / dinner / homework' complaints.

I mean, either way it's kind of ... unavoidable (not everyone being around at once)? Our schedules aren't going to match. Our time zones aren't even all the same. It's something that just kind of needs to be dealt with and balanced out. I don't honestly think it'd matter, what time of day things occurred. There will always be someone who is not around / misses out and someone will always have something to say about it.

It's just kind of a matter of how creative you are with post-reactions when you miss out, and down time. You don't have to be an attention-whore to get involved or be prominent. Not at all.

Please read this and let me know (like the post, tell me personally) that you've read it. This needs to calm down a bit ...

Jayn's Mini-Guide On Pacing & Realism ヽ(●-`Д´-)ノ​

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I N T R O D U C T I O N​

Note: Before you read this, take a deep breath and make sure you can handle it and not be a big baby. People have the habit of making everything about them, so when you read this please try to stray from the 'OH SHE'S TALKING ABOUT MY CHARACTER' defensiveness. If you see some of these things in your character, feel free to improve or fix them, but don't victimize yourself and / or bitch, please. Improvement is a good thing! I'm guilty of some of this stuff, too. (◡‿◡✿)

xxxxxxHey kids I have to address something because some of this has gotten just a bit ~ridiculous~. I don't consider myself the best writer, at all. I would consider myself more of a story-teller than an actual writer [ this sums up some of my feelings about the difference ], as I don't really like 'writing'. So take this with a grain of salt, but some of the writers involved here, in my opinion, are a little ... over-the-top.

I'm not sure how to explain it simply. Basically, though, the crazier characters kind of ... mess up the vibe of things. It's terribly difficult to think logically in a situation or stay interested enough to pace properly and develop your own character when some people are all 'WHOA LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT THIS'.

I appreciate your interest and the following still holds true;

H o w e v e r, there needs to be a rather major adjustment of how this is executed and this guide is meant to help you understand what it means to be collaborative, as well as act as a fair warning.

R E A L I S M​

Let me remind you of some things!


// MENTAL BREAKDOWNS & FAINTING

Horrifying situations realistically can trigger ... freak-outs and panic attacks. Everyone will react differently to certain situations, because we're humans and well, that happens. But one of the most common fall backs / reactions to a horrific situation is either a complete freak out, nothing, or fainting. Fainting everywhere, fainting.

If you are a panicky, nervous character, you are likely to have a breakdown. That is okay. People who suffer with anxiety or depression are likely to suffer from mental breakdowns. Nervous / mental breakdowns in the real world are generally a gradual thing, though. When something bad happens to you, you don't generally go instantly into a nervous / mental breakdown -- generally. What usually happens, is that it's been building for quite a bit, and a big event may trigger the final 'freak out' [which, in a lot of cases, is self-harm or homicide].

It usually doesn't happen the way Hollywood / anime makes it look. It's usually a slow spiral, not an eccentric crash into insanity in one instance.

Now, to address, nothing.

What I mean by nothing is that something happens and you're unaffected. This can either be dramatic, like throughout the entire thing you're just like 'whatever', OR it can be exhibited by initially caring [OH NO LOOK A FIRE, RUN!!] and then being totally fine after [Well.]

I'm not sure, unless you don't have the will to live [in which case, characters who save themselves are questionable] or have some kind of mental problem, what kind of a personality would be totally and completely 'fine' after something highly traumatic. Even people who are emotionally apathetic would likely experience some physical signs of trauma or disturbance [shakiness, nausea, high-stress / jumpiness]

Fainting.

Dear lord, everyone loves fainting.

[Information on fainting]. During the times I've fainted, it's never been just a ... //DROPS TO FLOOR UNCONSCIOUS. "AND THEN THE WORLD WENT BLACK AND JAYN FAINTED."

There's, usually, a build up. The last time I fainted it was after not having slept for a couple of days and standing for a long period time while a family member talked to me about a stressful topic. I got extremely nauseous. Everything got really disorienting and tingly, and I got really light-headed. It took minutes of feeling awful before I was out for the count. It was not just a random collapse with no warning.

Fainting, again, isn't as common as hollywood / anime make it seem. Think about the recent tragedies you've heard about, and think about how many people [relatively healthy / uninjured people] actually fainted in those situations.

It's just kind of a default reaction to stress that we see a lot of from the media. We should probably try to get a bit more creative with our reactions to horror.

// ROMANCE

Cupid's Brew was meant to have elements of horror [and still is] but not be a horror-fest. The actual core of everything should be and is meant to be romance. Let's think about this ...

> The Fire happened. This was inevitable. It was always meant to trigger leaving. [Which is why I was in hysterics about people thinking going back to the beginning would prevent it, though it was/is possible to actually get to experience camp.]
> The ferry accident happened. [This was somewhat preventable. It wasn't destined.]
> Mist. [Preventable.]

These are three not-so-pleasant events that have happened. Three, with two being preventable. That being said ... my main hope here is that we don't keep making decisions that lead us down the YAMI WO KIRISAKU OH DESIRE path. There's basically a point we need to reach and then the horror will die down significantly until later. All I can suggest is that you use what's happened [those of you still with us] as fuel for logical development and to establish relationships with others.

ROMANCE is a big deal ...

That being said, we're on Day Four. Four days. Four. Think about that ... Think hard about that. Those of you trying to pass off passionate, real, relationships that literally started only a few days ago, it's not working. It just looks and seems absolutely ridiculous. Maybe some of you are too inexperienced to understand that true, deep love doesn't generally work like that, but let this be a reminder.

We're on the fourth day of the entire role play. Calm down, por favor. To be honest, it is possible to 'think you're in love' with someone after a short period of time. Actually, that's pretty realistic, for dumb, young kids in our generation. The problem is that it's not being portrayed as something that is stupid and immature. It's being portrayed seriously.

No. No no no no no. No. ... No. I encourage romance. I encourage it so hard, man, but a four-day true love is ridiculous and it just makes the progression of the role play kind of ... dumb ?? Like, reading over some of the stupid poor-paced development, makes the entire thing lose a bit of it's charm. It's a bad thing.

Fall in love. Develop relationships. Become close to people. Just pay attention to how much time has actually passed and how ridiculous you may or may not be being.

If you are going to have an immature character who 'thinks' they're in love, but really isn't, then do that!! But portray it correctly, make them stupid. Say that they're rushing, being dumb, and make them -- as they would be most likely be -- a bit indecisive and easily swayed.

// MATURITY

Most of your characters ages are 12 - 18. Some of you are younger than eighteen, but something you have to understand is that you are still growing. You are most likely stupid and naive in some way, shape or form. You aren't even at the halfway point of your life expectancy [depending]. You're in school, surrounded by peer pressure and immature, stupid kids. I think a lot of us here on KH-V [a lot, not everyone] consider ourselves outside of that inner-circle, but I believe we can all honestly admit to either past or current immaturity that comes with growing up.

That being said, your characters should really not have an enormous grasp on their identities and somehow be completely level-headed and mature, especially in life-threatening situations. Think back to high school [if you must]. Think back to how you personally were back then, or how you are now, or the people who surrounded you. Chances are, you weren't / aren't a perfect mini-adult.

There are children who are apathetic and detached, but think about those people ... Put yourself in a situation with your character, in other words. I know personally, that people who acted like that in my high school were either ... unnerving and had some kind of mental disorder or only acted high and mighty [but were really just arrogant, obnoxious, pretentious and trying to pretend they were above something when they weren't], OR there was a reason for them turning out the way they were [ie. abuse / trauma], and they were a bit unstable.

For the adults, it makes more sense to have shaped yourself to be dignified and whatever. But most of the adults here are young adults and, again, shouldn't be perfect.

// MIND READING

Stop doing this. Stop it. It's when you read something someone has posted and you make your character know what they're thinking / get a 'vibe' or become super intuitive to use it to your advantage. Stop. Stop it. Unless a character says something straight to you, you shouldn't suddenly know everything they're thinking.

If a character likes you, that doesn't mean you should instantly like them.
If a character dislikes you, it doesn't mean you should instantly dislike them.

Don't let your personal feelings / someone else's characters project onto your own. It's dumb and obvious.

// ATTENTION WHORING

Stop doing this. STOP. It's when your character is the center of attention ... because you force them to be. It happens when you make your character faints out of no where when everyone is relatively fine and everyone is like GASP __! It happens when your having random panic attacks or bouts of insanity in the middle of no where and everyone is like WHAT'S WRONG WITH ___?!

How to explain ...

It's okay to make your character do something that gains them attention, naturally. [Ie. Erik taking charge often, Noelle flipping out on David, etc.]

But when it's constant and HIGHLY dramatic, please stop. Especially if it's unnecessary.

// GRIEVING

People die, and that usually makes people sad. Think about this ... Depending on your character's personality, they should be mourning a fresh death for quite some time. Mourning. Being sad. Going through the 5 steps of grieving or whatever, a steady pace.

When you're young, you usually suffer from some kind of Immortality Syndrome [unless you're like me and think about death constantly ｡◕‿◕｡]. Immortality Syndrome is what I call the belief that nothing bad can happen to you because you are young. It's what makes 'young' deaths somehow more tragic, to some people.

So when your peers die, it's usually a pretty ... rattling experience. It kind of messes you up a bit, depending on how old you are and how much exposure to death you've had.

It's usually either that, or a strange apathy. You know, YOLO mentality. The, you're young so be reckless and don't give a **** attitude.

Generally, mourning [whether you knew the person or not] isn't exactly an ultra swift process. It's been four days and there's been a lot of death. Think about that and how it should be affecting your character.


// KILLING & INJURIES

Horrific situations are not often come out of unscathed. Your characters aren't super men. Don't be afraid to hurt yourself.

If you go over the top, though, then be prepared to REMAIN seriously injured until you get to a hospital. Also be prepared for me to kill you if your wounds are too ridiculous and there's no immediate treatment.

On another note, killing people. Um. When you kill someone, it's not a no-big-deal situation. It's not a shrug and move on. Killing people is serious. You're in a group of people, not all of them close to you. You murdering someone is likely going to result in a trial and some kind of punishment. Stop taking murder lightly, it's not a 'whatever' thing. Lol.

[Also, for you murderers or potential murderers out there, killing people usually results in some kind of ... negative reaction ? It's not the healthiest thing for a psyche. ]

P A C I N G​

To wrap this up in a nice bow for you, a big issue with all of this is pacing.

Almost all of the things above can be resolved by taking your time.

It's Day Four. Development needs to slow down. In a way, I'm glad no one has rushed into CB yet because it would be brash, depending.

So, my lovelies, again, don't take this personally!! Use it to improve, me included. Use it to find strength and tangible development in your characters. Use it for the future. FOR THE WORLD.

Thank you to What? for reading over this for me and doing an accuracy check.

Again, let this be a fair warning. I will ask you to resign from the role play if you're too ridiculous. That doesn't mean don't be creative, or collaborate or be boring or stop trying. It doesn't mean anything like that. It just means to slow down, and think about what you're doing before you do it and how things will play out. Be true to your character, but acknowledge what you're doing with them.

A love potion isn't realistic, but you don't know what the potion does or why it does what it does [is it science? or da supernatural???].

Remember, things usually work tug and pull. If your character has a particular personality, there should be a reason -- a logical reason. Either way, Mary-Sue-ville is not limited to being nice or a victim ...

Ask if you have any questions.
​

『WEATHER』 CLEAR SKIES 56°! ✖『DATE & TIME』 6/19/2013 - 3:37AM ✖『DAY』 04​

❝I'm sorry . . . We're okay now . . . We're okay . . .❞

That was all she could really register for a bit, and all she wanted to hear. Bryan was a little beaten up, but overall alright and that was enough for her. The others had completely left her mind and were only just now fading back into existence. Julius had taken care of her, hadn't he? She would have to thank him. Her head ached but everything else felt relatively alright ...

The tears stopped falling after a bit as she considered their options, carefully.

❝S - So what are we sup - posed to do n - now . . . ?❞

Bryan asked. A breeze rolled past and Noëlle relished in it. She was burning up and her body felt heavy, as if Bryan was the only thing keeping her standing.

❝What do you think we do?❞

❝Hey ...❞ Noëlle's voice was weak, but still carried an identifiable warning. There was no need for him to be a jerk. They were all on high alert ... Bryan, of all people, didn't deserve that -- and not just because she loved him, either.

❝We leave. We all climb back in the truck and drive down the road we probably should have taken in the first place and leave. Now! Before anything else can happen.❞

Without anything else, he was throwing the driver's seat door open and getting inside. It slammed behind him and Noëlle sighed softly. She couldn't exactly blame him, could she? Her eyes scanned their group. Quite a few of them were unconscious, or still coughing. It made her nervous. And then ...

❝Alright then calm down and lets think a bit, first things first...now that we are out of the town make sure to breath in the clean air. If something feels wrong do not hesitate in the slightest to tell anyone. Next we've got to check the truck for anything of use. Maps, foods, tools or anything of use. Lets make sure to check every single place in the truck.

...and finally we have to deal with these two...sad to say...they are not the most stable in our group and we need to be weary of them.

Anything else anybody needs to add?❞

That seemed reasonable. Her lungs took in a deep breath of clean, cool air, though she hadn't taken in any of the mist. Her eyes dragged to Adrian, and then Lexi nervously. What happened?

One of the girls approached Julius and Noëlle stopped paying attention.

❝Wha...what...w-what happened? I ...I did something bad...didn't I?❞

Noëlle stared at him. What was wrong with him? Was he insane? Yeah, the fire and the flood had been pretty bad ... and this ... but ... Some people really were rather fragile, weren't they?

She looked up at Bryan curiously.

❝... What happened to David?❞

​

SONO CHI NO SADAMEEE ... JOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOJOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

Note: if you were in the pick up of the truck and not around tonight then you'll probably be worse off health-wise. By probably I mean you are. Lol.

So. Good luck being sick.
Will progress you guys tomorrow morning.

『WEATHER』 CLEAR SKIES 60°! ✖『DATE & TIME』 6/19/2013 - 3:26AM ✖『DAY』 04​

❝Stop the truck.❞

She had been lost in her thoughts when she heard a muffled voice speaking behind her. She twisted her body, perking an eyebrow and wondering what was going on. It was Quentin. She smiled, before noticing the expression on his face.

Oh.

Deep breaths, Noëlle ...

❝There's--.❞ He coughed, and she began to unbuckle her seatbelt, putting the pieces together. ❝--some weird mist. On the ground. C - Could you stop the truck and let us in, p - please?❞

Her eyes scanned the dirty window, into the pick up and over the faces. Her heart was pounding. Not another tragedy. No more deaths. No more deaths. No more deaths.

She heard another cough, one she recognized.

... Bryan !!

No. Stay calm, Noëlle ...

Her fingers were trembling and she whipped around, towards David. He hadn't started to slow down yet and she wondered what he was waiting for. Oh, maybe he hadn't heard? The coughing got louder and her shaking became worse, so she finally spoke up.

❝Hey, man, I don't know if you heard, but,❞ her voice was strained and a bit aggressive.

David laughed.

He laughed.

❝I heard him, sweetheart. Don't you worry a bit, I'm sure they'll be fine. I'm not opening the door for some weird ass mist to seep in here. We'll be outta here soon.❞

...

Wide, turquoise eyes stared forward blankly. The choking of the others in the back rang out clear. Clear as day. And then, David switched on the radio. It was one of the AM stations and it was only playing static. It was to drown them out, because this sick fucking bastard knew they wouldn't be 'okay'.

He knew. This FUCKER.

No, shh, shh, calm.

Slowly, she leaned back into the back seat and fidgeted with her fingers nervously.

The fire, the flood ... And now ...

Bryan ...

Bryan ...

... It was normal for little girls to admire their big brothers, right? Especially when they were as charismatic and affectionate as Bryan was. Things hadn't always been sunshine and sparkles between them, but Bryan was always there for her. When they were younger, he was her best friend as well as a grade A Playmate, and when they got older, the admiration just ... Never faded. Miraculously, they never entered that bratty puberty spawned sibling hatred, and pretty soon -- with no close friends of her own -- Bryan had consumed her thoughts completely.

She couldn't imagine being without him some day. Not at all. Especially, not like this.

There had been a time when she had really tried to get close to people. Failure after failure had driven her deeper into her acknowledged brother-complex and now .... Well, now anyone else was just a distraction. She wanted him near. She needed him, here. It could have been anybody, if the circumstances were different, but it wasn't.

Terrible thing was he might never know how she felt.

He might die here, tonight.

He'll die.

When she looked up again, tears were falling down her cheeks and a level of rage she hadn't even known existed flooded her system. Her safety belt was already unbuckled.

There was something under the seat. She had saw him reach for it, earlier, after Adrian's outburst. Without thinking, she propelled herself into the front seat, literally sitting on Electric Blue. Her arm lifted and her wide eyes flashed with anger. David's reaction (swerving the car and swearing) was delayed, and she was able to lift her elbow and jab it into his face as hard as she could. Pain shot up her arm with the hit, but he was thrown further off-guard and she maneuvered her body from Electric Blue's lap, to David's.

They swerved and she leaned down to bite one of David's arms hard enough to make him release the wheel.

❝STOP THE CAR, YOU SICK BASTARD !!❞

His leg slammed down on the brake and she fumbled, a bit disoriented, with unlocking the car doors.

Bryan wasn't going to die here.

David brought a large hand down and wrapped it around her hair, snapping her head back.

❝You bitch !❞ Clever and original of him, she thought sarcastically. He pulled harder on her head and she had to admit, it hurt pretty badly. Her eyes were stinging with tears, but ... Her right arm reached down, groping under the seat. David slammed her head against the wheel of the car, yelling more terrible insults at her.

Come on ... !!

At least this should buy those outside some time ...

​

『WEATHER』 CLEAR SKIES 60°! ✖『DATE & TIME』 6/19/2013 - 3:21AM ✖『DAY』 04​

❝Move this trash can, or I'll drive you to hell's gateway!❞

Noëlle flinched.

What the hell?

She looked back. It was ... Adrian. The guy who had approached her before, on the ferry. Oh no. She looked back towards David, who had snapped his head back. Her heart started pounding.

❝... Excuse me ... ?❞ He unbuckled his seat belt rather quickly and bent over, reaching down for something under his seat.

❝OI ADRIAN SHUT THE **** UP!! GOD, THE THING I HATE IS SOME IDIOTIC RUDE DUMBASS YELLING AROUND BARKING ORDERS! YOU HAVE NO GODDAMN APPRECIATION?! ... Oi don't listen to this idiot...we appreciate you driving us and if you can get us home I'll make it up to you.❞

Oh my god ...

David visibly relaxed and put his seatbelt back on with a sigh and a muttered 'whatever'.

Once they were all piled in, and the apology was made, David took off, swerving down the street. The truck rocked them awkwardly, and she found herself uncomfortably close to the ones sharing the back with her. It was a pain, really, and she was beginning to feel really ... awkward. Especially because one of them, maybe David, had an extremely potent body odor.

This was all made worse by the fact that Bryan had ended up in the pick up. They hadn't talked on the bus (which was her fault, stupid sleep), and whatever it was that he had wanted to talk to her about was eating away at her curiosity. Her eyes closed, and visions of Fortissimo -- and home -- danced through her head.

Deep breaths, Noëlle. Stay calm, Noëlle.

She didn't feel exactly safe starting up any discussion that wasn't casual here, so she kept her mouth shut and they drove forward into the darkness, rocking and bouncing about with every curve and bump of the road.

They came for a fork, and turn a bit sharply. David grumbled an apology and continued forward. Her stomach churned with nausea and she sniffled to herself. She wanted Bryan ... or someone, at least. This trip had been nothing but horror and loneliness.

They zoomed pass the city entrance to Lightbrooke and some kind of warning sign she couldn't make out.

The town was empty and desolate. No stores, or gas stations that she could see ... Only a row of empty houses on either side of them, and a cracked cement sidewalk bordering the gravel road. The moon illuminated an eerie yellowish mist hovering slowly above the ground.

Hmm ...

​

『WEATHER』 CLEAR SKIES 60°! ✖『DATE & TIME』 6/19/2013 - 3:16AM ✖『DAY』 04​

David revved up his truck, leaning out of his window. He had a friendly face, but cold, dark eyes. It made her nervous ...

He had clearly been drinking, though he didn't seem ... enormously drunk. Noëlle took a step forward towards the car. The cold bit at her ankles and cheeks. David unlocked the doors to the red truck and she shuffled inside first, taking a seat behind the driver's seat, near the window, and buckling herself in. There wasn't a lot of room back here at all ... Someone could ride shotgun, maybe three more could fit in the back. It was some kind of weird pickup truck, and maybe the rest of them could pile into the way back ... She felt a bit guilty for thinking that, buuuut.

As long as Bryan was there ...

As the train left, the lanterns went out and they were left alone, in the dark. David's headlights blared out ahead of them.

❝What're you waiting for? Let's go! It's late and I'm tirrrrrred.❞

​

CHOICE #4 VER. 2​

『WEATHER』 CLEAR SKIES 60°°! ✖『DATE & TIME』 6/19/2013 - 3:13AM ✖『DAY』 04​

xxxxxNoëlle had been completely caught off-guard by their sudden leaving. It was abrupt, honestly, and made her feel panicked and aware. She said goodbye and thank you to the family, and then was pretty just whisked out of the door and back to the trolley.

They drove straight for a bit, and Noëlle was sure the drive would have taken much less than thirty minutes if they hadn't had to stop for every single pedestrian walking in the middle of the street. She sighed and leaned back, fiddling with the ends of her green jacket until they arrived.

She stood and grabbed her bag, thanking the trolley driver and stepping down onto the red brick parking lot. This town was a colorful one, and it might have been lovely, had the people been nicer and less eerie. It was an experience, though. One she would journal about later. Until then ...

The heels of her sneakers felt unsupported along the uneven brick, and she was grateful for the smooth blue-painted concrete of the platform. The smell of dough hit her nose, but she was stuffed from breakfast. Still, it was a curious thing, and she wondered if there was a bakery somewhere nearby -- like the one in the hospital.

That hospital ...

Her shoulders slumped.

The conductor would be expecting them, so they were able to walk right through the ticket counter.

❝Alright guys,❞ Bryan started once they were out and standing scattered on the platform. ❝Our train won't be here for a few hours, but kill time however you want. Stay in sight, don't leave the group. Don't leave the station, and all that good stuff. Please.❞

Looking a bit ... exhausted, Bryan sat down on one of the benches. Noëlle frowned and thought about sitting next to him, but ... She felt a bit clingy. Instead, she took a seat alone on one of the benches after grabbing a train schedule. As she flipped through the pages, she noticed Candlewood was no where to be seen on any of the (few) routes.

Weird. Weird, weird, weird.

Honestly, she wasn't sure what to do to waste time. It would have been better, she thought, to explore Bentley a bit more. Besides the candy shop, what else would there have been? Besides the Dreamers, who else could they have met? Her knees bent up on the bench and she sighed, still wondering why everything had happened the way it did and when she would get to go home.

While thinking, she found herself drifting. Using her bag as a pillow, she placed it down on one end of the bench, curled up and rested her head on it, falling quickly into a light sleep.

​

The tooting of a train horn caught her attention and she lifted her gaze. The train station was far too large for the scarce amount of people she actually saw around. There was one train puffing smoke out of the top, and a conductor stepped out of it, smiling and waving across a platform at them. Noëlle waved back politely.

Still pretty sleepy from her nap, she made her way down the train aisle, claimed a seat, and curled up to sleep.

​

❝Time to go, kids!❞

Noëlle stirred at the enthusiastic voice of their conductor. Was he supposed to be back here? Where were they? Ack, she felt so disoriented! Her eyes fluttered open and then she winced, closing them again. Bright lamps from outside blasted the train with yellow light. Her throat vibrated with a groan, and she twisted herself further into the seat cushions.

❝The closest we were able to get you kids to Candlewood was Lightbrook. My cousin, David, offered to come pick you lot up in his truck and he's not the most patient. Should get you there alright, though. He can drop you off at Fortissmo, and you can have your parents pick you up. Buses aren't runnin' this late, after all ...❞

He trailed off, staring at her for a moment and then at whoever else was visible, and then shrugging and opening the doors to the car they were in.

Noëlle swung her bag over her shoulder and stood up, peeking over the rising figures of people to make sure Bryan was okay and exiting the train, too, before stepping off into the cool early morning air. Her eyes were heavy, and she felt exhausted. Getting in the car with this ... David guy didn't seem like the safest thing, but ... What could he do? There were so many of them. Though, she would rather her family pick her up. She missed her phone. Her parents were probably so worried ... She wondered about the others, too. The groups they had left behind.

Her arms folded over her chest to warm herself, and the roaring of an engine caught her attention and she walked towards the dirt brown jeep that they were all apparently to pile into. So much traveling ...

The conductor and a group of workers from the train got off, talking with each other and laughing. He motioned towards their group and broke out into louder roar. Her eyebrows furrowed. Was she being paranoid or what? Hmm...

​

You -- Tucker -- decide to approach one of the Dreamers for conversation. Lucas is still caught up in his conversation with the trolley man, so that leaves Glenda and the little girl. Glenda is clearly not in the best of moods, so you pick the latter. ❝Hello,❞ you state, a bit nervously. You give her a small smile. Her green eyes look you up and down before she returns to what she was doing. (Drawing on the back of a discarded receipt.) You think she is going to ignore you at first, but you hear a gentle, shy greeting being returned to you. ❝Hi ...❞ He smiles at the younger girl more brightly. His first impression on her was kind of stuck-up, but her respond seemed friendly. Not really interested on wasting much time, he decided not to beat around the bush but still be cautious with his words, ❝So your family runs the candy store? Pretty neat! Do you enjoy all the candy? Do people come here often?❞ The girl stops her crayon to think about it for a minute, looking towards Lucas and then Glenda before biting her lip. ❝I like the candy ...❞ She seems to deliberately ignore the second question. ❝W-well that's good ... um, so, what are you d-drawing?❞ The little girl shows you the back of the receipt. There, she has drawn a strange diagram. ❝I ... I am not done.❞ She looks away nervously. Before you can engage her further, Glenda storms back behind the counter, takes her hand, glares at you, and drags her away upstairs.

​

CHOICE #3 VER. 2 ​

『WEATHER』 FOGGY 53°! ✖『DATE & TIME』 6/18/2013 - 1:02PM ✖『DAY』 04​

xxxxxNoëlle spent the rest of her time exploring the rest of the first floor. The candy called to her, but luckily the breakfast she had scarfed down earlier fought off the urges well enough. She had never seen so much candy in one place. There was even an entire section dedicated to spicy candy, which she hadn't thought there was much of.

Honestly, at this point, she was wondering if there was some kind of amusement park here at Bentley. Bright colors, strange enthusiasm or antagonistic attitude. It was really interesting, and it baffled her why so many people seemed ... clearly on edge. It was actually a nice little break from the fire, and the ferry sinking ...

She was just about to explore the second floor when the clicking of heels and tapping of dress shoes alerted her attention. Her legs froze at the bottom of the staircase and she lifted her eyes, taking in the view of three new people she had never seen before.

One was a tall, slick blonde-haired man with tan skin, light green eyes and a large nose. He wore a white suite with a deep red bow tie, and carried some kind of ... candy scepter in his right hand. She almost laughed. Instead, she took in the appearance of his ... wife (?). Fair skin, green eyes, a pointed chin ... On her left hand was a jade ring. She carried nothing, but latched her arm around the male's free one. Behind him, a little girl with pale green eyes bordered with dark circles, straight black hair, and a pink dress trailed. Her face wore a generally uninterested expression, and as soon as they were at the foot of the stairs, she walked away to the back counter -- where the trolley man was -- and took a seat near the register.

❝... More tourists?❞ The woman's voice was high pitched and nasally. Noëlle felt instantly irritated. The woman's wide eyes scanned over the floor and her chin lifted.

❝Aah, no, no, no, no, no. I understand now, Glenda dear. These are our guests. The ones our Sugar Cane mentioned, remember?❞ The man replied, in a low voice. He turned towards her and their eyes locked, sending an extremely uncomfortable vibe down her spine.

❝Hello, there. Welcome to my candy shop.❞ His voice picked up in volume and soon he was addressing everyone, with a wide, white-toothed smile. ❝Are you finding everything alright?❞

❝Luuuuuuuucas!❞ The trolley driver from earlier exclaimed melodically, waving from behind the counter with the little girl. ❝I hope you don't mind, I told the kids to help themselves.❞

Lucas -- or the owner of the shop turned his attention away, dragging the scepter along the tile floor as he walked towards the front. Glenda released his arm and shot Noëlle a nasty look before strutting off towards James with an air of disapproval. Noëlle turned away just as he was being scolded, looking for her brother. He remained huddled around with the other counselors and she sighed softly.

​

Besides the initial welcoming, things remained relatively normal. The little girl kept giving everyone odd looks, while Glenda glared at everyone she came into contact with. Lucas was caught up in a rather serious discussion with the trolley man, but they were all generally left to themselves.

​

Lmao, okay. Thank you.

Is there a specific reason that you need to 'wait' on the appearance? I'm not planning on recoloring until I work on the banner which won't be until next week. If you need to see it I can show you the un-recolored version privately but I'm genuinely wondering if there's a real need to have it be something you're delaying for. (Like if you're going to use it for something or ... something. I don't want to be holding you back and if that's what's happening then I'd rather bs it lol.)

『WEATHER』 FOGGY 53°! ✖『DATE & TIME』 6/18/2013 - 12:43PM ✖『DAY』 04​

xxxxxThe inside of the candy store was both lovely and sickening. Large, pristine, colorful ... It smelled like delicious diabetes. Her shoes made a smacking sound against the cool, pure white tile beneath her, and the tinkering melody that she could hear outside continued unfiltered. Honestly, she felt safe here. It was strange, but it reminded her of an amusement park, and once you forgot about the eerie fog and strange attitudes of the residents, it was really quite a colorful, magical town.

Her heart felt particularly calm with Bryan beside her. He was holding her hand and it was driving her crazy. If only he knew ... She peered up at his face with wide, genuine eyes before distracting herself with one of the jaw breaker candy dispensers.

❝You think they'll give us a tour?❞

❝I hope so,❞ she replied with a small smile. ❝I want to see the other floors.❞

Her arm lifted to motion towards the staircase to the second floor. It seemed open enough, but it felt intrusive -- to her -- to ascend without some kind of guide.

❝Hey, um... I just wanted to say thank you. You know. Since you saved me during the forest fire and all...❞

Electric Blue stood before her. Why now, of all times? Noëlle didn't look annoyed, though. Instead, she smiled. The smile faded a bit as she thought about it. There was nothing to feel proud about, she had started the fire after all.

❝Err ... Don't mention it.❞ Though, thank you for thanking me.

She turned her attention elsewhere, taking her mind off of it. The trolley man was behind the front counter, humming energetically to himself, and nibbling on a piece of white almond chocolate. Her mouth watered, and then ...

❝Noëlle? Hey . . . I have a bad feeling about this. Please don't eat any?❞

Her lips formed a literal pout before she regained her dignity and put on a pleasant face, instead.

❝Quentin,❞ She considered his request, nearly scoffing to herself. She didn't like being told what to do, but ... these circumstances were a bit strange, and Quentin looked genuinely concerned, so maybe she'd let it slide -- this time. What if there really was something up with the candy here? It wouldn't have been worth it ... Her fingers wrapped around Bryan's a bit tighter, for comfort. ❝... Sure.❞

Then, she turned back towards Bryan, about to ask him if he would try any of the candy.

❝Hey newbie, ya' mind meeting now? We kinda need to talk.❞ Erik stood before them and she stopped herself from glaring, clutching Bryan's fingertips a bit tighter -- maybe to the point of pain. She didn't want him to go, and it was evident. Yeah, it was probably much more important that he spoke with the counselors but ... She sighed and loosened her grip on his hand.

Selfish. Bad.

He left her and she folded her arms over her chest, sighing.

​

http://kh-vids.net/threads/❥▐-cupids-brew「ooc」.138150/page-11#post-4058201