It's manageable so far! I've got another class to go to in a couple minutes, and then I'm planning to try to spend the rest of today catching up on posts. I've got 5 partners waiting on me right now, oof. Usually I've only got a couple active at a time, but I got stormed xD
Trash Panda Member
STATUS: Does this mean we can call you abmin now? 2 yrs ago
- Last Seen: 9 mos ago
- Old Guild Username: Lokki
- Joined: 12 yrs ago
- Posts: 6374 (1.46 / day)
- VMs: 9
-
Username history
- Trash Panda 1 yr ago
- ███████████ 3 yrs ago
- ██████ 6 yrs ago
- ██████ 12 yrs ago
-
Latest 10 profile visitors:
-
Most recent →
Vaunivor,
Tlazolteotl,
Syrenrei,
AHeartlessNobody,
nachonacho,
Vampiretwilight
Status
Recent Statuses
2 yrs ago
Current
Does this mean we can call you abmin now?
9
likes
2 yrs ago
300 word minimum is pretty standard for casual level and up in my experience
4
likes
2 yrs ago
Just discovered Dog TV. My pitbull and I have a new shared hobby.
6
likes
3 yrs ago
Barbenheimer 2023
6
likes
3 yrs ago
There's a panhandler who hangs out on the street corner by our dispensary every afternoon with a sign that just says "Green 4 Green?" and tbh, I respect my boy's confidence.
2
likes
Bio
Personal Profile
Name: Taylor
Pronouns: They/them
Age: Mid 20s
Relationship: Married (happily, I might add)
Time Zone: Arizona (we hate daylight savings, so it's MST year-round)
Writing History: I've been on a number of different roleplaying websites for over a decade and a half
Hobbies: Writing, fitness, driving/exploring, hiking, camping, traveling, tabletop games, anything NEW (I love trying things I've never done before)
Roleplayer Profile
Format: 1x1s only. Maybe I'll try a group RP again someday, but I've never had one last longer than a few months
Posting Speed: Depending on my schedule, I can usually post at least once per week
Favorite Genres: Modern, Historical, Romance, Action/Adventure, Horror/Dark, Fantasy, Slice of Life, Dystopian, can be convinced to write some Sci-Fi
Hard 'no's: Fandoms. Sorry, but I can't maintain interest in characters/worlds I didn't build with my partner
Template: Public threads or PMs. I prefer to keep all my RPs in one place, so no emails or G-docs or the like
Rating: Comfortable with 18+ content, but it's not a necessity and I prefer not to center a plot around explicit scenes
Level: Advanced. Will consistently provide around 400-700 words per post, but can occasionally leap to 2000+
Character preference: One main character, but large side casts are greatly enjoyed. Because I write long posts, I prefer not to double
Gender preference: Male. You'll be hard pressed to convince me to play a female that isn't a background character. It's just not my forte
Romantic Relationships: MxF or MxM (currently prefer MxM)
Character Images: Faceclaims or detailed descriptions only. I envision the characters like real people in my mind, so I can't take anime seriously
OOC chat: Yes please! I'm a total extrovert who loves to get to know the amazing minds behind my partners' characters
Most Recent Posts
Understandably xD Mercenaries make this story so much more interesting too, haha.
When Penelope responded to him at first with silence, Crow shifted his weight uneasily. He wasn’t sure what could be going through her head, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know since every option seemed terrible. If he had imagined the mercenary in Bellmare, it meant he couldn’t trust his own eyes anymore, and he might become a danger to the other members of the group. He shuddered at the thought of mistaking Percival or Rayner for an enemy and reacting before anyone could stop him. He didn’t want to accidentally hurt anyone.
On the flip side, if he had actually seen a mercenary in the marketplace, then that meant it was possible that he was being watched again. He remembered the things the previous killer had said just as well as Penelope did. During their first trip to Younis, the mercenaries had been tracking them for weeks to sniff out their weaknesses before they finally struck. The thought of that happening again caused a chill to run up his spine. He had more guards this time, but that didn’t negate the fact that mercenaries always seemed to wait to attack until they felt confident that they could take down their targets. Two years ago, the murderers had almost succeeded on two occasions.
The viceroy absently lifted a hand to his side, where the scar from one of the killers’ daggers still decorated his torso. They had narrowly escaped with their lives both times, and both times their success had to be attributed to luck. There was no guarantee that their luck would hold out for another round of ambushes.
Suddenly, Crow blinked when Penelope threw her arms around his middle. As she stated that she didn’t think he’d imagined the man in Bellmare, he winced. There was no good answer either way, but hearing one of the options confirmed wasn’t much better than staying in the dark. At least there was one positive if she was right though: He wouldn’t have to worry about inadvertently turning on the people who were close to him on this journey. Thinking about it more thoroughly, he realized that she had some good points too. Whenever his nightmares had taken hold, he’d always had visions of knights and bandits. Mercenaries had never made an appearance in the theatre of his mind, so it was unlikely that he would have conjured one up at the marketplace when it hadn’t happened before.
Relaxing ever so slightly, he returned her embrace, slipping his arms around her back to hold her close. Her assurance that it was possible that the man he’d seen had been innocent wasn’t very convincing to him. The lurker hadn’t looked Brerratic. He had been tall and imposing with the same brawny build as the killers they’d fought against in Younis. By contrast, their own people weren’t usually so brick-like. Even though it was still possible that the man hadn’t been there for malicious purposes, the viceroy wouldn’t give him the benefit of the doubt as long as they had so little information on him.
At Penelope’s last words, Crow chewed contemplatively on the inside of his cheek. As unsettling as it was, she was right that his father had been trying to end the war on his own terms when they had visited Bellmare. Back then, there had been too many witnesses around for a mercenary to make a move, but now, they were in a small group that would be far easier to overpower. If the man he’d seen had been biding his time, he might not keep waiting in the shadows for much longer. Reflexively, his eyes swept over the trees around them, as if there were enemies stalking them at that very moment.
“I promise you, I will,” he said in a soft voice, pressing his lips to her head in a long kiss. Knowing that she believed he had seen a real mercenary, his guard had climbed back up to its full height. He wouldn’t let it back down until they completed the assignment and returned to the safety of the castle. After all, he hadn’t come this far in both the war and his relationship with the knight just to have his life snuffed out before he could see things through to the end.
As he held her, another thought came to him, and he let out his breath in a resigned sigh. “Do you think I should tell the others about him?” he murmured, pulling back just enough to meet her gaze with a frown.
On the flip side, if he had actually seen a mercenary in the marketplace, then that meant it was possible that he was being watched again. He remembered the things the previous killer had said just as well as Penelope did. During their first trip to Younis, the mercenaries had been tracking them for weeks to sniff out their weaknesses before they finally struck. The thought of that happening again caused a chill to run up his spine. He had more guards this time, but that didn’t negate the fact that mercenaries always seemed to wait to attack until they felt confident that they could take down their targets. Two years ago, the murderers had almost succeeded on two occasions.
The viceroy absently lifted a hand to his side, where the scar from one of the killers’ daggers still decorated his torso. They had narrowly escaped with their lives both times, and both times their success had to be attributed to luck. There was no guarantee that their luck would hold out for another round of ambushes.
Suddenly, Crow blinked when Penelope threw her arms around his middle. As she stated that she didn’t think he’d imagined the man in Bellmare, he winced. There was no good answer either way, but hearing one of the options confirmed wasn’t much better than staying in the dark. At least there was one positive if she was right though: He wouldn’t have to worry about inadvertently turning on the people who were close to him on this journey. Thinking about it more thoroughly, he realized that she had some good points too. Whenever his nightmares had taken hold, he’d always had visions of knights and bandits. Mercenaries had never made an appearance in the theatre of his mind, so it was unlikely that he would have conjured one up at the marketplace when it hadn’t happened before.
Relaxing ever so slightly, he returned her embrace, slipping his arms around her back to hold her close. Her assurance that it was possible that the man he’d seen had been innocent wasn’t very convincing to him. The lurker hadn’t looked Brerratic. He had been tall and imposing with the same brawny build as the killers they’d fought against in Younis. By contrast, their own people weren’t usually so brick-like. Even though it was still possible that the man hadn’t been there for malicious purposes, the viceroy wouldn’t give him the benefit of the doubt as long as they had so little information on him.
At Penelope’s last words, Crow chewed contemplatively on the inside of his cheek. As unsettling as it was, she was right that his father had been trying to end the war on his own terms when they had visited Bellmare. Back then, there had been too many witnesses around for a mercenary to make a move, but now, they were in a small group that would be far easier to overpower. If the man he’d seen had been biding his time, he might not keep waiting in the shadows for much longer. Reflexively, his eyes swept over the trees around them, as if there were enemies stalking them at that very moment.
“I promise you, I will,” he said in a soft voice, pressing his lips to her head in a long kiss. Knowing that she believed he had seen a real mercenary, his guard had climbed back up to its full height. He wouldn’t let it back down until they completed the assignment and returned to the safety of the castle. After all, he hadn’t come this far in both the war and his relationship with the knight just to have his life snuffed out before he could see things through to the end.
As he held her, another thought came to him, and he let out his breath in a resigned sigh. “Do you think I should tell the others about him?” he murmured, pulling back just enough to meet her gaze with a frown.
Crow didn't mind xD
He's also still afraid that the mercenary was a figment of his imagination
He's also still afraid that the mercenary was a figment of his imagination
As he and Penelope walked away from the group, Crow smiled to himself, pleased that he could have a few minutes to be alone with her without any interruptions. His reservations about admitting he might have seen a mercenary in the inner kingdom still left him somewhat tense, but his anxiousness was eased by the warmth of her hand in his. “It is backwards, isn’t it?” he mused with a short laugh when she pointed out the irony in their excuse to get away. He hadn’t thought about it, but she was right. Usually, they were scrambling for a reason to be alone because of their relationship rather than the other way around.
Feeling the knight come to a stop at his side, he turned to face her just as she leaned in to press a kiss to his lips. He hadn’t expected her to use the time to steal an intimate moment with him, but regardless, he didn’t skip a beat. Wrapping his arms around her back, he closed his eyes and deepened the kiss, his heart fluttering with excitement at her spontaneity.
When she pulled back again, he grinned at her breathlessly. “Don’t be,” he said in response to her apology. In his opinion, there was rarely a time when apologetic words were in order for something like that. They might not have had more than a few minutes to themselves, but the other members of their party thought they had escaped to be alone for this very purpose anyway. There was no harm in indulging themselves a little.
At her following question his smile faded, and he averted his gaze, letting his arms drop from around her. “Right,” he started slowly, contemplating his choice of words. After hearing the worry in her voice when they had discussed the dangers of the mission earlier, he didn’t want to frighten her by making it sound like he thought he was being stalked or anything like that. However, there was no good way to say it without being dishonest, so he let out his breath.
“With all the work we’ve been doing to end the war, I forgot all about this,” he said quietly, turning back to her to meet her eyes. “But… when we were in the marketplace in Bellmare, I… I might have seen a mercenary.” He reached up to rub the back of his neck. “It was when we parted so you could buy your dress. I was looking at a different stand, and I had a feeling someone was watching me. When I looked up, I saw a man in the crowd who had similar features as the mercenaries who attacked us in Younis.
“I’m not completely certain about this,” he added quickly. “I mean, he could have just been a tall man running his own errands who happened to recognize me. I’ve always been stared at a lot because of my reputation. I just… There was something about him that made me think he wasn’t there for innocent purposes.” He grimaced. “But then Preston told me about a knight in the castle who’s had nightmares like I have. He thought one of the castle guards was an enemy and tried to kill him, and now I don’t know what to think. I’d like to believe I’m not seeing things, but I’m not sure if I can trust myself.”
He bit his lip, uncomfortable with opening up so much even though he knew he could trust Penelope with the information. “It sounds crazy, doesn’t it? A mercenary in the inner kingdom? And if he was really at the market, there’s no reason why he should have singled me out, right? This was before my father changed his mind about negotiating with Gorm.” A faint tremor in his voice belied his fear that he was losing his mind. “I don’t know. I just thought that if there’s even a sliver of a chance that what I saw was real, I should say something.”
Feeling the knight come to a stop at his side, he turned to face her just as she leaned in to press a kiss to his lips. He hadn’t expected her to use the time to steal an intimate moment with him, but regardless, he didn’t skip a beat. Wrapping his arms around her back, he closed his eyes and deepened the kiss, his heart fluttering with excitement at her spontaneity.
When she pulled back again, he grinned at her breathlessly. “Don’t be,” he said in response to her apology. In his opinion, there was rarely a time when apologetic words were in order for something like that. They might not have had more than a few minutes to themselves, but the other members of their party thought they had escaped to be alone for this very purpose anyway. There was no harm in indulging themselves a little.
At her following question his smile faded, and he averted his gaze, letting his arms drop from around her. “Right,” he started slowly, contemplating his choice of words. After hearing the worry in her voice when they had discussed the dangers of the mission earlier, he didn’t want to frighten her by making it sound like he thought he was being stalked or anything like that. However, there was no good way to say it without being dishonest, so he let out his breath.
“With all the work we’ve been doing to end the war, I forgot all about this,” he said quietly, turning back to her to meet her eyes. “But… when we were in the marketplace in Bellmare, I… I might have seen a mercenary.” He reached up to rub the back of his neck. “It was when we parted so you could buy your dress. I was looking at a different stand, and I had a feeling someone was watching me. When I looked up, I saw a man in the crowd who had similar features as the mercenaries who attacked us in Younis.
“I’m not completely certain about this,” he added quickly. “I mean, he could have just been a tall man running his own errands who happened to recognize me. I’ve always been stared at a lot because of my reputation. I just… There was something about him that made me think he wasn’t there for innocent purposes.” He grimaced. “But then Preston told me about a knight in the castle who’s had nightmares like I have. He thought one of the castle guards was an enemy and tried to kill him, and now I don’t know what to think. I’d like to believe I’m not seeing things, but I’m not sure if I can trust myself.”
He bit his lip, uncomfortable with opening up so much even though he knew he could trust Penelope with the information. “It sounds crazy, doesn’t it? A mercenary in the inner kingdom? And if he was really at the market, there’s no reason why he should have singled me out, right? This was before my father changed his mind about negotiating with Gorm.” A faint tremor in his voice belied his fear that he was losing his mind. “I don’t know. I just thought that if there’s even a sliver of a chance that what I saw was real, I should say something.”
The homework I had to do earlier today took longer than I thought ^^; I've got a post started, but I may not get it done until tomorrow!
True, haha. And Naida almost ruined Penelope's plan cx
As Crow finished his food, he continued to lean against Penelope’s leg, enjoying her presence. Since they would be parting soon, he wanted to be with her as much as he could before the inevitable split. He knew that once she was gone, he would miss being able to spend time with her during the weeks in which they would be away from each other. Her warmth was also comforting against the cool air that surrounded them. On the road, it hadn’t been terrible because they had been riding beneath direct sunlight, but in the shade of the trees, he began to find it harder not to shiver as the break went on.
So, when the knight stepped away, the viceroy felt himself tip slightly to the side and looked up at her bemusedly. For half a second, he was confused about why she suddenly felt the need to take a walk when she was usually the more focused one between the two of them on trips like this. However, he realized what she was doing just before she subtly signaled to him with her gaze. He shifted his weight, still hesitant to bring up the mercenary he’d seen in Bellmare when he knew it would probably just worry her more. Unfortunately, he’d already committed to doing so when he had mentioned it to her during the ride. He took a steeling breath and climbed to his feet.
“Hold on. I’m coming with you,” he announced, taking a step after her.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Otto asked with a warning edge to his voice. “I don’t think it would be wise of you to stray from your guards, Lockton.”
“We’re still not far from the citadel,” Crow justified and then smirked. “Besides, Penelope is frightening with a sword. I feel just as safe with her as I do with all four of you.” He turned away from the baron to continue after the knight, indicating that he wasn’t going to change his mind on the subject. “We won’t be long.”
“If you’re both going, I want to come too!” Naida jumped up from her boulder.
Crow cleared his throat, “Actually, I’d prefer to spend a few minutes alone with her.” He tilted his head toward Penelope and offered his sister an apologetic smile. “Just this once, okay?”
The princess scrunched her face, as if she was considering arguing with him. After a moment, she exhaled and sat back down, “Fine, but you owe me.”
“Fair enough,” he agreed. With the rest of the group off their backs, he reached for the lieutenant’s hand and laced his fingers with hers, walking into the trees to put distance between them and the others.
So, when the knight stepped away, the viceroy felt himself tip slightly to the side and looked up at her bemusedly. For half a second, he was confused about why she suddenly felt the need to take a walk when she was usually the more focused one between the two of them on trips like this. However, he realized what she was doing just before she subtly signaled to him with her gaze. He shifted his weight, still hesitant to bring up the mercenary he’d seen in Bellmare when he knew it would probably just worry her more. Unfortunately, he’d already committed to doing so when he had mentioned it to her during the ride. He took a steeling breath and climbed to his feet.
“Hold on. I’m coming with you,” he announced, taking a step after her.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Otto asked with a warning edge to his voice. “I don’t think it would be wise of you to stray from your guards, Lockton.”
“We’re still not far from the citadel,” Crow justified and then smirked. “Besides, Penelope is frightening with a sword. I feel just as safe with her as I do with all four of you.” He turned away from the baron to continue after the knight, indicating that he wasn’t going to change his mind on the subject. “We won’t be long.”
“If you’re both going, I want to come too!” Naida jumped up from her boulder.
Crow cleared his throat, “Actually, I’d prefer to spend a few minutes alone with her.” He tilted his head toward Penelope and offered his sister an apologetic smile. “Just this once, okay?”
The princess scrunched her face, as if she was considering arguing with him. After a moment, she exhaled and sat back down, “Fine, but you owe me.”
“Fair enough,” he agreed. With the rest of the group off their backs, he reached for the lieutenant’s hand and laced his fingers with hers, walking into the trees to put distance between them and the others.
Crow is finally tolerant of Gavin xD
As Naida questioned Penelope about her former suitor, Crow turned his attention to his lunch. Once upon a time, hearing talk of Gavin would have gotten his back up, but the knight hadn’t posed a threat to them in months. He was confident in his relationship with Penelope, and now that he was a nobleman too, he was no longer insecure about dragging her down with him by being together. As far as he was concerned, her ex suitor wasn’t someone he needed to worry about anymore.
So, when Naida asked him what he thought, he looked up at her with a noncommittal shrug. “I don’t know,” he said, swallowing a mouthful of bread. “He was still getting over Penelope that last time I saw him, but he didn’t seem like he was going to keep trying to win her back. Either way, I trust her, so it doesn’t matter what he does.” He tilted his head back to cast the knight a fond smile. Even if it turned out that Gavin hadn’t given up on her, he knew she wouldn’t do anything to hurt him. She’d already proven that after she’d turned away every other man who had attempted to woo her at the castle.
Naida studied them for a moment longer and then shook her head amusedly. “This is still so weird, knowing you two have been together for so long. It still feels new and fragile to me since I just found out a couple days ago.”
“It’s what we had to do,” Crow reiterated, leaning sideways to rest against Penelope’s leg and grinning at his sister good humoredly. “But I promise you don’t have anything to worry about, O controlling one.”
“You’re cheeky today,” the princess snorted, though a smirk tugged at the corner of her lip.
“I’m in a good mood,” the viceroy explained, lifting his shoulders innocently. “It feels great to finally get out of that stifling castle.”
“Hear hear,” Naida lifted her water flask with a laugh. At her side, Percival nodded in wordless agreement.
Crow took another bite of his lunch, keeping Otto and Rayner in the corner of his eye as he ate. The two knights were rather quiet throughout the discussion, but they looked like they were paying attention. The baron’s eyes were fixated on them, and his expression was as unreadable as always. The former thief wondered what was going on inside his head.
So, when Naida asked him what he thought, he looked up at her with a noncommittal shrug. “I don’t know,” he said, swallowing a mouthful of bread. “He was still getting over Penelope that last time I saw him, but he didn’t seem like he was going to keep trying to win her back. Either way, I trust her, so it doesn’t matter what he does.” He tilted his head back to cast the knight a fond smile. Even if it turned out that Gavin hadn’t given up on her, he knew she wouldn’t do anything to hurt him. She’d already proven that after she’d turned away every other man who had attempted to woo her at the castle.
Naida studied them for a moment longer and then shook her head amusedly. “This is still so weird, knowing you two have been together for so long. It still feels new and fragile to me since I just found out a couple days ago.”
“It’s what we had to do,” Crow reiterated, leaning sideways to rest against Penelope’s leg and grinning at his sister good humoredly. “But I promise you don’t have anything to worry about, O controlling one.”
“You’re cheeky today,” the princess snorted, though a smirk tugged at the corner of her lip.
“I’m in a good mood,” the viceroy explained, lifting his shoulders innocently. “It feels great to finally get out of that stifling castle.”
“Hear hear,” Naida lifted her water flask with a laugh. At her side, Percival nodded in wordless agreement.
Crow took another bite of his lunch, keeping Otto and Rayner in the corner of his eye as he ate. The two knights were rather quiet throughout the discussion, but they looked like they were paying attention. The baron’s eyes were fixated on them, and his expression was as unreadable as always. The former thief wondered what was going on inside his head.
© 2007-2026