SpicyMeatball

Steelbird Landing: A Roleplay After The End of it All [18+, 6 player limit!]

Sparrow

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Sparrow grabbed Milk by her upper arm and moved her behind Sparrow’s own body. The stalker’s mind was acting purely on instinct now, the adrenaline coursing through her body. Her heart pounded against the walls of her chest and threatened to break through, her pupils wide as her body had entered it’s fight or flight response. Her thoughts however, were quite calm in contrast to the rest of her. If there was one thing Sparrow had going for her, it was that she was at her best while under pressure. Sparrow may have been a loving individual in Steelbird Landing, but the moment she left the confines of the city she became a completely different person.

Sparrow let go of her companion and returned her hand to the string of her bow. The arrows were doing nothing to the beast. It was like that...creature felt no pain. Nothing. The very same arrows with the same precision and accuracy that had been the demise of countless animals and people alike, had been nothing more than a minor annoyance to this newfound threat.

She didn’t like it one bit.

“Milk, we have to warn the city.” Sparrow spoke in an unnervingly calm voice, her eyes never leaving the slow-moving beast. She took in a slow, deep breath through tightened lips, slowly bringing her heart rate back down. As the beast left her sight, Sparrow turned to face Milk. “Follow me, I know a shortcut to get back. We might be able to make it back before that…thing does.”

Sparrow turned to run, but then paused. Something she’d never considered crossed her mind. Something that, if only for a moment, frightened her. “Milk...why did it want you? It spoke of a womb, but there were three of us present. It wanted you, and you alone.” Sparrow looked into Milk’s warm, brown eyes with her own, trying to read her thoughts and emotions. Sparrow hoped with all of her heart that Milk knew nothing of this and that she was just as confused, but part of her had to be skeptical. She’d learned that the hard way as a child. Never again.

The Pasta Bowl, where you can find all of the Spiciest Characters~

Roleplay:

Steelbird Landing

Sparrow, the Stalker

Sparrow

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What Do You See?

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¤ Age, approximately.
Late twenties.

¤ What Are You?
The Stalker

I am a hunter by trade. I wait silently amongst the trees for my prey to appear and strike without hesitation. Most believe that jaguars are the apex predator of the jungle. I am what the jaguars fear.

¤ What defines you?
COOL: Sparrow is icy cold under pressure and hard to rile. You are the very definition of a smooth operator. But of course, cold means distant…

Let Go of Your Past

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¤ Who are you?
I am Sparrow. I go where others can’t. I was born in the chaotic streets of the city once known as Rio, used by the people around me to scavenge in places few others could fit. I was born in blood, the offspring of bandits fighting over anything and everything that remained. I was born in violence, punished for every failure. I was born, but I did not live. I was taught that nothing mattered but doing anything to get food. They spoke nothing of beliefs, the Gods did not want them in their mind.

They called themselves the Forsaken. They claimed that they had been abandoned by the Gods and that their ruthlessness and merciless killings were a result of it. I was taught no differently. I learned to kill without hesitation and without remorse. My elders always said I was good for nothing, that I was a runt among the children and that I would never be as strong. I was determined to prove them wrong. If they couldn’t see that I was strong, I was going to show them. In the Forsaken, you were judged for how good you were at scavenging and killing. So I scavenged and killed.

I was never taught regret. It was never an emotion I was familiar with. That has not changed throughout my entire life. That same night, I killed Leader’s favourite pupil. Slaughtered him in his sleep. I watched the light fade from his eyes as he awoke to his demise. I would not be cast aside any longer. Now that the competition was gone, I would no longer live in his shadow.

But instead of becoming Leader’s favourite, I became the most hated. I was beat until I bled, whipped until I could no longer stand. They cast me out into the wild with nothing but my clothes. Since then, I’ve lived off of the wilderness and the bounties it offered. I became one with the jungle and trusted nothing and no one but myself. I know the jungle better than anything and it now fuels my livelihood.

¤ What do you want?
I want to prove Leader wrong and be the most feared predator of my enemies. I live to sustain myself and I serve no one else. I live to show myself that we don’t need to scavenge to survive.

¤ What do you believe?
I believe that the two most powerful things in the world are patience and time. Nature’s pace is the only one I follow, patience will bring you sustenance if you give it the time it needs. Patience may be bitter, but the fruit it bears is sweet.

¤ What do you follow?
I follow the trails of the animals and the hints they leave behind with my eyes. When no trail is evident, I follow the sounds of their calls with my ears and their patterns of movement with my memory. If nothing else, I follow my need for self-redemption.

¤ A scarcity embodied:
I embody the scarcity of freedom. I am trapped inside my own head, fighting myself to earn the validation of a leader I despise. It is evident to those around me. A few have noted that I punish myself for simple mistakes, mistakes that others may see as nothing.

¤ Basic Instincts:
The pair of knives sheathed under my left arm never leave me, not even while I sleep. Without even thinking, I will landmark escape routes around me. In a conflict, I always keep my distance and let the arrows speak for me.

Spill Your Guts

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¤ What is the worst thing you've ever done to stay alive?
The dead month... There was someone that had followed me from Rio, someone that I eventually considered a friend. For weeks we searched the jungles, waiting to find something to eat. We waited in the trees just like I’d done for years before. And nothing ever crossed our trails. It had been weeks of living off of leaves, mushrooms and the few berries we could find. My hunger got the best of me. As I waited in a tree above, I told him to go down to look for a trail and as he examined the jungle floor I put an arrow in the back of his head. He sustained me for another two weeks until I finally came upon a deer. The memory still haunts me to this day, as does the taste…

¤ Who do you owe?
I owe Pepsi for teaching me of The Ways. I give him a free pound or two of meat from each hunt so that he may continue to enlighten me.

¤ Who owns you? Literally or figuratively.
The jungle owns me, nature owns me. She holds my life in her hands every single day. My life depends on her bounty just as it depends on the tools I use to collect it. I am her apex predator, and she is my controller. She decides if I feed or if I starve, if I climb or if I fall.

¤ Who's intentions do you question?
I question everyone’s intentions. It’s the reason I still live and breathe to this day. Trust no one, question everything and never turn your back to a man with a weapon regardless of standing.

¤ Who or what do you worship?
I worship the Earthen Mother, nature herself. I pray to her each morning before the hunt so that I may live to see another day, so that I may nourish myself in her bountiful jungles and find my way out of them unharmed.

Hear the Whispers...

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It comes to me while I pray. I close my eyes and as I speak, I begin to notice more and more around me. The silence, the smell of the jungle, the gentle touch of the wind and the humidity in the air, it all comes to me. Around me, there is an endless forest filled with life. I see a figure in the distance, just a silhouette in the fog. The Earthen Mother. She paces towards me, her featureless form made merely of mist. As she does, I realise I can no longer move. My eyes are fixated on her as the fog closes in around both of us. It is when she touches me that she begins to speak. A whisper, nothing more. A single word. Normally a location or direction.

Sometimes she remains silent and simply shows me. A gust of wind showing me the way, perhaps a trail invisible to me before. Always guidance, never judgement. The mother is fair in that way. She guides my step and allows me life.

Own What You've Become

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Ah, Sparrow. Maybe they should have named you Falcon or Hawk... Their loss. Let's see what scars run deepest…

¤ You have seen one of the monsters from the western rift. What did it look like? What did it say to you?

It was nearly ten feet tall. Black as the night sky with yellow eyes that pierced through the darkness like arrows. I tried to take it down but my arrows bounced right off of it’s scaly hide. When it saw me, it turned to me and made a sound that almost resembled a laugh. When it spoke it’s four words, it sent a sickening feeling through me, “Your mother will suffer..”

¤ There is someone who wishes you join you on your hunts. Who is it? Why do you keep refusing?

Spade has been eyeing my place since I first started. He’s asked me countless times to show him how to hunt and to allow him to hunt on my grounds. I don’t trust him. He doesn’t take to the ways of the Earthen Mother, nor do I believe that he truly wants to be my partner in this. When we first met I caught him trying to steal a cut of meat from me. I won’t let him on the Mother’s hunting grounds.

¤ Who is your best customer? Your worst? Who wants to take control of your business? Names only, please.
The best? Pepsi. The worst? Shank.

Wants to take control? Spade.

Relationships Can Prove Fatal...

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¤You had some kind of relationship with one of the other characters that is no longer the case. Who? And what was the relationship?

Avenue. We used to speak. He was the father of Milk's child. I respected him once, when he first introduced me to Hope. Avenue made me believe there was more than just violence, slaughter and mayhem in the world. And then he destroyed that image. That coward ran off with my sister's child in the night. I couldn't run fast enough to catch him and I will forever feel guilt for that. There is nothing between us now. He is a coward, nothing will change that in my eyes.

¤There is one character who you think could hear the voice of the Earth Mother if you could only teach them. Who?

Hemlock. I watch her harvest the plants without regard or care for the one who makes them. I watch her from the trees while she remains unaware. It would be dishonest of me to say that I haven't thought about ending her life while she defiled the Mother's grounds. I had gotten as far as drawing my bow before the Mother corrected my way. She spoke to me that night in my prayers, the same night I caught a glimpse of Hemlock spying on me through the trees. The Mother had shown me a sign. Hemlock can be taught of the ways of the Earth Mother.

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Sparrow’s Song

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💟 An RPG Valentine 💟

Alright, I've been dragged into this. Here goes.

@Dirty Pretty Lies I have you to thank for even involving me in more than just an RP, but a group of awesome people who I thoroughly enjoy roleplaying with, and just generally having a good time. You constantly bring a smile to my face in VC and I adore the collab posts we write together.

@Altered Tundra I have you to thank for one of my favourite SoL RPs. I loved writing the few collabs we've done and even though it was a bit short lived, I really really enjoyed Sands of Time. You're an awesome writer and even though your characters sometimes frustrate me, I always look forward to reading your posts.

@voltaic I won't bore you with a lovey-dovey little message, because you didn't even bother to write one for me and I know you'll just call me out later for being all mushy. But you're fun to RP with and I enjoy your company in discord.

@Ejected I'm happy to be a part of the Unholy Trinity and I hope we get more chances to collab. I always enjoy your posts.

@spooner I seriously wish we could've kept on going with our characters in the roleplay I met you in, but nonetheless you're a pretty cool guy and I enjoy the few times we've written together. Unholy Trinity ftw.

@Inkarnate I'm not gonna lie, you drive me up the wall sometimes. But, that being said, it's nice to have someone that you know will give it to you straight and not sugarcoated, and I appreciate that.

@TheGrundlesnart Yep, I'm gonna drag you into this. Haven't known you long but I love your style of writing. You bring out a style of writing I don't often use and your style of GMing is awesome.

@Hero@HaleyTheRandom@MissCapnCrunch@Aewin@Syn@eclecticwitch
You guys have become like a family to me and I love you all. I hope that we continue our friendships for a long time to come and continue to write awesome stories. Thank you all for just being great people and amazing writers. GTP for life.

~The Spiciest Meatball~

Olympus Academy // A School for Demigods and Demigoddesses

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_{Location • Herald of Olympus Office, to Ares Colosseum
Interactions • Misspelled Winter @SouffleGirl123}

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The smooth, metallic surface of the newsroom's lock gave the daughter of Hermes a familiar, almost nostalgic feeling as she worked her literal magic and unlocked it. Apart from the fact that Taylor rather enjoyed opening up locks on her own will, the newsroom had been without a key for a few years now. She really didn’t have a choice. When she first had offered to join up in her second year at the academy, the few people that ran the Herald of Olympus--blatantly and shamelessly named after her father--had but a single key in their possession. The following year, when they’d all graduated and left, Taylor never received the key. Whether it was a purposeful attempt to close the office for good or simply a forgetful mind, she would never know.

Taylor pushed the door gently after turning the tarnished brass handle, letting it open inwards as she paced into the room slowly. She inhaled deeply and moved to the center of the room, running her hands over the rather plain looking printing press--lovingly named Bess for it’s temperamental operation--and stopped at the dull, golden emblem in the center of it. A caduceus, truly a machine of the messenger god himself. Taylor ran a finger down it’s dusty perimeter before she turned abruptly towards the main desk.

“I see you all have slacked off while I was gone.”

The room responded with silence.

“Nonetheless! Slack no longer, your mistress is here!" The small girl proudly announced into the otherwise lifeless room. “Maestro! Your finest record if you will!" Taylor demanded, before sliding the vinyl disc from the desk’s surface and into her grasp. She danced across the room to the bookshelf where a rather dated looking record player sat and gently placed the record onto its surface. Taylor carefully placed the needle down onto Elton John’s Diamonds album before turning the player on. The gentle sound of the singer’s voice filled the room as the piano began in the background, bringing a gentle smile to Taylor’s face. The tune of Rocket Man began. She was home once again.

And once the chorus began, the daughter of Hermes sang along with her soft, delicate voice. She knew the words perfectly and sang at the top of her lungs, knowing full well that the majority of the student body wouldn’t be anywhere near the room.

"And I think it's gonna be a long long time
'Till touchdown brings me round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh no no no I'm a rocket man
Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone!"

A few minutes later, when the song came to a close, Taylor stood in the center of the room and closed her eyes. With a swift movement, she took a bow to the nonexistent audience in front of her and stepped back. It was time to get to work now.

Taylor swooped around the room and grabbed her camera from its place in her bag, slinging the rather conveniently named piece of equipment around her neck. She grabbed a notebook, an assortment of pens and a specially marked manilla envelope from the desk and slid the bundle into her messenger bag. With her equipment packed and ready to go, she repeated her motions and slung the messenger bag over her shoulder.

The flats of her shoes slapped quietly against the tiled floors of the hallway as Taylor walked hastily towards the colosseum. With one earbud in--playing Queen’s Killer Queen of course--the brunette bopped her head along to the infectious beat as she rounded the final corner. A smirk spread across her face as she arrived just in time as the “special” announcement was being made. Taylor brought the camera to her face and snapped away at the power couple that was Hector and Helena.

“Cover page done.” She mumbled to herself, lowering the camera as names began to be called for the experiment. Oh how this would be interesting.

Taylor couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious as her name was called along with the rest. She’d never really had an official roommate before. Bunking with the Hermes kids was all she’d really wanted. This apartment thing was certainly not for her. The feeling was only amplified as the majority of the students left the colosseum, leaving only the selected few in a now very empty-feeling building.

Being at the back, Taylor missed the initial handout, but quickly retrieved a paper that had been carelessly crumpled up and tossed to the floor. Her eyes shot down the list as she searched for her own name. An unfamiliar name sat next to her own in Apartment 2J. A person she’d never

“Who the hell is Wynter? I think they misspelled your name!” The small girl called out blatantly, and probably a bit too loudly as well, having drawn the eyes of a few of the other students.

Steelbird Landing: A Roleplay After The End of it All [18+, 6 player limit!]

Sparrow

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Something was off. Sparrow’s eyes shot around the forest from the relative safety of the tree before she arrived at Milk. At first, Sparrow thought she may have just been paranoid, but her feelings were soon justified. In the distance, a figure of nightmarish looks stood motionless, it’s tendrils reaching for the lone and defenseless Milk. Sparrow drew back her bow and launched the already nocked arrow in the creature’s direction before screaming towards Milk “MILK! RUN!” Sparrows senses went into overdrive as she maneuvered carefully and quickly through the branches, her balance never faltering. In all of her years hunting, she had developed an extremely good sense of balance that allowed her to accomplish things most couldn’t. Save the apes of course.

As she got back to the place she’d climbed up, she quickly wrapped her otherwise bare hands in a few layers of cloth before leaping onto the dangling rope below her. Sparrow’s heart pounded in her chest as the rope slid through her hands. Despite the fabric, when she reached the bottom Sparrow felt the sting of rope burn on her palms. With massive amounts of adrenaline surging through her body Sparrow took off in a sprint towards the figure. She pulled another arrow from her hip-mounted quiver and let it fly. At this point she wasn’t trying to hit it as much as she was trying to distract it. She couldn’t lose Milk. She was all that kept Sparrow sane in this world.

“Oh Mother Earth, splendour of life eternal and keeper of balance arise! Come and bring light to those that sit in darkness and dwell in the aura of death. Guide my hand to defend the harmless and abolish this monstrosity!” Sparrow spoke sternly, having stopped to properly aim at the figure that now stood no further than fifty feet in front of her. Sparrow’s once calm grey eyes were now stormy. She pulled an arrow up and drew back her bow fully, launching the vicious broadhead-tipped projectile towards her opposer.

Sparrow looked over to Milk for a brief second, making sure that her companion; her sister, her friend, was not harmed. Then, turning back to the beast and readying her bow once more, she spoke to the beast in a stern, but not hostile voice. “Creature, you have visited this forest once before in my presence. Why do you aim to harm the ones I care for? Who or what has sent you to wreak havoc among the Earth Mother’s forest?” The young woman kept her bow partially drawn, but lowered for the time. If the best even made the slightest movement towards either herself or Milk, another broadhead was only a split second away from flight.

Palm Beach Royals: Senior Year

April’s cheeks were on fire as she paced across the dance floor, the spot where Kavi kissed her still extremely evident on her cheek. Her heart pounded against the walls of her chest as she walked. The entire evening April had been psyching herself up to tell Santiago her big news, but in reality she didn’t know if she was really ready. Would he take it well? What if he denied it was him and left her out in the cold? What if he didn’t want to be with her for this? The questions flew through her head, only causing her heart to beat faster.

He was only a few paces away now, though he hadn’t noticed her yet as he was facing away. This was the point of no return. April could still turn back now if she walked away. The brunette stood in the open awkwardly, her breath catching in her throat. A cool breeze sent a shiver down her back as she stepped outside. Evidently the dress that hugged her body didn’t serve well to keep her warm and she’d failed to bring a jacket in the chaos of the afternoon. Yet another thing she could kick herself for later.

Focus April, you’re losing it.

As she calmed herself a bit, April looked slightly past Santiago to the oddly familiar face sitting next to him. It certainly wasn't his date Mara, so what the hell was this girl doing with him? "I swear Santi, if you've picked up another girl..." April muttered under her breath, trailing off as the name finally came to her. Penelope. The last name escaped her mind but it was irrelevant. This girl was in the way. She couldn't give her news to Santiago and risk it being leaked across the entirety of King's academy before the next morning. Instead of going the easy route, she'd have to get him away from her. From everyone. Where no one would be the wiser about the entire situation except for the two of them, regardless of who it was.

April took in a deep breath as remained still, her eyes looking Santiago up and down. Every bone in her body yearned for his presence and his company back, but April knew she couldn’t let him off easy. It would be a bumpy road for a bit, until they work able to work things out. Especially when it came time to inform her father. Just the thought sent her even further into a panic. How would he take the news? God knows if Santiago was around, it certainly wouldn’t go well. Of course, none of this would even be an issue if Santiago didn’t even listen.

Alright...you’ve got this…

Even though she said it like she meant it, April was having a hard time believing her own words. As she stepped forward and closed the final distance between herself and Santiago, April pressed her hands to her sides and looked up to him. “Hey Santi…” She said quietly, her voice almost shaking as she did. April took in a breath and took a moment to straighten her thoughts before she spoke again. “I have something to tell you...and it’s important. Unless I'm interrupting something...? I don't believe we've met officially.” She looked to Penelope as she spoke the last few words, extending a rather shaky hand towards her.

The Pasta Bowl, where you can find all of the Spiciest Characters~

Roleplay:

Olympus Academy

Taylor McLaughlin, Daughter of Hermes

"The less you know, the more you believe." —Unknown

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_Name

Taylor Alannah McLaughlin

_Age

Twenty-one, born on March eighth.

_Gender

Female

_{Sexual Orientation}

Lesbian, in the closet.

_Ethnicity

50% Greek, 50% Irish-American

_{Years at Olympus Academy}

Five.

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"This is our house, take your medicine, and fly the fiddlin' fuck away from whence you came!" — Fight Song by The Stanfields

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_Appearance

As a daughter of Hermes, Taylor naturally inherited the great endurance and speed that came with the title. As such, she has a very lean and toned build to her, weighing it at roughly 120 pounds and standing at about 5’4”. Medium length curly locks of brown hair border her face on the rare occasion that her hair is down, and compliment the curious hazel eyes that hide behind them. Both of her ears are pierced, three times each, and are generally adorned with a single silver stud in the ear lobe and two hoops in the upper ear. Because she is quite active, Taylor is normally seen in fashionable athletic wear that allows freedom of movement, but doesn’t compromise too much on the looks. She will occasionally be seen rocking a hoodie on the colder days on campus, but doesn’t leave her room without a hat of some sort. Whether it’s a cute beanie or a wide-brimmed sun hat, Taylor always has something on her head.

_Personality

Taylor is a timid, but rebellious and occasionally vindictive individual. She doesn’t like adhering to rules and regulations, nor does she enjoy being ordered around by others. Though she will not outwardly show her displeasure, malicious compliance is a common term in both her vocabulary and the description of her actions. Not overtly mean however, she is a rather kind individual to those close with her. Her heart, while not worn on her sleeve, is large and welcoming. Taylor may not be easy to befriend or even approach, but if you manage to befriend her, she is nothing but loyal to her friends. Around campus, Taylor is a quiet person. She generally won’t start a conversation with someone without being approached first. She keeps to herself and if possible, tries to stick close to the people she knows.

_History

Rowan McLaughlin wasn’t your typical journalist.

One would think that the moment a reporter caught wind of the veritable existence of the greek gods, that the story would make the front page of the New York Times. But Rowan was different. While she was quite a skilled journalist; she lived life on the edge and chased down stories that no other dared to, Rowan wasn’t in the job to make it big. She was one of the few people who did the job without twisting the words of strangers into a front page headline. The stories she wrote were the absolute, unbiased truth. It was this trait that had attracted Hermes to her.

The pair’s relationship grew quickly and both Rowan and Hermes seemed quite content together. Hermes, without Rowan’s knowledge, had fast-tracked her career by providing awfully convenient “anonymous” tips, leading the journalist to uncover some of the greatest stories she’d ever written. Needless to say, Rowan had never been happier in her life, except on the day she’d found out about her pregnancy. Only three months into the relationship and she’d decided that the time had seemed right.

Nine months later, a beautiful baby girl by the name of Taylor was born on the day following what would’ve been their anniversary. Except that in that very quiet hospital room, Hermes never showed up. The only clue that he’d left the journalist was a small tag around her foot that simply read “I will return on her sixteenth year.”

Despite Rowan’s frustration, Hermes hadn’t left her empty handed. Rowan raised Taylor in a very comfortable home funded by none other than the god himself. Taylor went to school just like any other child would--Rowan had no reason to suspect that Hermes was anything but ordinary--and for the longest time no one suspected a thing. The only detail that was even mildly suspicious about the demigod was that she picked up languages very quickly, much to her teacher’s pleasure.

Throughout her time in elementary school, Taylor excelled in track and field. She held the school record for all three sprint distances--100m, 200m and 500m--though didn’t participate in any team sports at her school. If she wasn’t outside on the track, Taylor was deep in her notebook writing about anything and everything she heard going on in the school. Though most of her writing was harmless and generally unimportant, she’d managed to get a teacher in a lot of trouble after discovering that he was cheating on his wife with one of the new educational assistants. Taylor had broken into his office earlier in the day and hid, watching as the two perpetrators...had at it. Needless to say, the two were both fired when the principle discovered an anonymous note with an attached video in her office the next morning. Just like her mother would’ve done.

Just as what had been promised those many years ago, on Taylor’s sixteenth birthday her true, biological father made his return to the McLaughlin residence. Taylor and her mother had just finished dinner when Hermes knocked at the door. Taylor had never seen her mother so mad in her life, but as Rowan had never spoken of Taylor’s father before, she had no idea why. After a lengthy discussion with the two of them, Hermes had revealed his true identity and with it, revealed to both of them that Taylor was a demigod. Disbelief and shock didn’t even begin to describe the emotions of both mother and daughter, but eventually they connected the dots and it all made sense.

Taylor was off to Olympus Academy a few months later, where she could learn and hone her abilities in safety, away from the rest of the world. She currently writes for and edits the school newspaper along with a few other misfits.

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"It's always the quiet ones you have to worry about..." — Hermes

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_{Godly Parent}

Hermes, the messenger god of trade, wealth, luck, thieves, travel and language.

_{Relationship With Godly Parent}

Although she hasn’t know about her heritage for too long, Taylor despises her father. All that matters to her is that he had abandoned her mother following her own birth and left her to raise a child all on her own. Nothing would change that, regardless of how much Hermes praised Taylor and sent her gifts. He would always be known to her as the father who left.

_{Demigod Abilities}

Aren’t you the cunning linguist... - Being the messenger of the gods means that there is no room for communication errors or language barriers. Taylor inherited this from her father and has the ability to both understand and speak most known languages in the mortal world. Every dialect of every known language, and some languages that aren’t. This also includes writing in most languages, no matter the alphabet.

I see you haven’t lost your silver tongue. - Another perk of being the daughter of Hermes is that Taylor is incredibly well spoken and has the ability to persuade the vast majority of people. Persuading demi-gods may be a bit more work, but it is certainly possible. Gods on the other hand? Well, there’s a first time to try everything.

It’s like email, just…better. - She couldn’t be the daughter of the messenger god without some way to send someone a message. Taylor has the ability to send anyone she can think of, a completely tangible and physical letter. Any envelope she marks with the Caduceus of Hermes can be whisked away with the flick of her hand to the recipient of her choosing. Instantly.

Key to the city...sort of. - Some may call it technomancy, but to Taylor it's just plain and simple. Given a bit of time and direct contact with the lock, Taylor can manipulate the internals of any lock to open it. It gets exponentially harder to the bigger the lock gets, medium-sized safes requiring upwards of a few minutes and bank-sized ones not being possible without near perfect concentration. However, the upside to this is that it does not tamper with the lock in any way and entry is near undetectable.

_{Sydney Sierota | Code:8781bd}

Olympus Academy // A School for Demigods and Demigoddesses

@Altered Tundra Done!

Taylor McLaughlin, Daughter of Hermes

"The less you know, the more you believe." —Unknown

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_Name

Taylor Alannah McLaughlin

_Age

Twenty-one, born on March eighth.

_Gender

Female

_{Sexual Orientation}

Lesbian, in the closet.

_Ethnicity

50% Greek, 50% Irish-American

_{Years at Olympus Academy}

Five.

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"This is our house, take your medicine, and fly the fiddlin' fuck away from whence you came!" — Fight Song by The Stanfields

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_Appearance

As a daughter of Hermes, Taylor naturally inherited the great endurance and speed that came with the title. As such, she has a very lean and toned build to her, weighing it at roughly 120 pounds and standing at about 5’4”. Medium length curly locks of brown hair border her face on the rare occasion that her hair is down, and compliment the curious hazel eyes that hide behind them. Both of her ears are pierced, three times each, and are generally adorned with a single silver stud in the ear lobe and two hoops in the upper ear. Because she is quite active, Taylor is normally seen in fashionable athletic wear that allows freedom of movement, but doesn’t compromise too much on the looks. She will occasionally be seen rocking a hoodie on the colder days on campus, but doesn’t leave her room without a hat of some sort. Whether it’s a cute beanie or a wide-brimmed sun hat, Taylor always has something on her head.

_Personality

_{Timid | Loyal | Disobedient | Kind | Quiet | Thoughtful}

Taylor is a timid, but rebellious and occasionally vindictive individual. She doesn’t like adhering to rules and regulations, nor does she enjoy being ordered around by others. Though she will not outwardly show her displeasure, malicious compliance is a common term in both her vocabulary and the description of her actions. Not overtly mean however, she is a rather kind individual to those close with her. Her heart, while not worn on her sleeve, is large and welcoming. Taylor may not be easy to befriend or even approach, but if you manage to befriend her, she is nothing but loyal to her friends. Around campus, Taylor is a quiet person. She generally won’t start a conversation with someone without being approached first. She keeps to herself and if possible, tries to stick close to the people she knows.

_History

Rowan McLaughlin wasn’t your typical journalist.

One would think that the moment a reporter caught wind of the veritable existence of the greek gods, that the story would make the front page of the New York Times. But Rowan was different. While she was quite a skilled journalist; she lived life on the edge and chased down stories that no other dared to, Rowan wasn’t in the job to make it big. She was one of the few people who did the job without twisting the words of strangers into a front page headline. The stories she wrote were the absolute, unbiased truth. It was this trait that had attracted Hermes to her.

The pair’s relationship grew quickly and both Rowan and Hermes seemed quite content together. Hermes, without Rowan’s knowledge, had fast-tracked her career by providing awfully convenient “anonymous” tips, leading the journalist to uncover some of the greatest stories she’d ever written. Needless to say, Rowan had never been happier in her life, except on the day she’d found out about her pregnancy. Only three months into the relationship and she’d decided that the time had seemed right.

Nine months later, a beautiful baby girl by the name of Taylor was born on the day following what would’ve been their anniversary. Except that in that very quiet hospital room, Hermes never showed up. The only clue that he’d left the journalist was a small tag around her foot that simply read “I will return on her sixteenth year.”

Despite Rowan’s frustration, Hermes hadn’t left her empty handed. Rowan raised Taylor in a very comfortable home funded by none other than the god himself. Taylor went to school just like any other child would--Rowan had no reason to suspect that Hermes was anything but ordinary--and for the longest time no one suspected a thing. The only detail that was even mildly suspicious about the demigod was that she picked up languages very quickly, much to her teacher’s pleasure.

Throughout her time in elementary school, Taylor excelled in track and field. She held the school record for all three sprint distances--100m, 200m and 500m--though didn’t participate in any team sports at her school. If she wasn’t outside on the track, Taylor was deep in her notebook writing about anything and everything she heard going on in the school. Though most of her writing was harmless and generally unimportant, she’d managed to get a teacher in a lot of trouble after discovering that he was cheating on his wife with one of the new educational assistants. Taylor had broken into his office earlier in the day and hid, watching as the two perpetrators...had at it. Needless to say, the two were both fired when the principle discovered an anonymous note with an attached video in her office the next morning. Just like her mother would’ve done.

Just as what had been promised those many years ago, on Taylor’s sixteenth birthday her true, biological father made his return to the McLaughlin residence. Taylor and her mother had just finished dinner when Hermes knocked at the door. Taylor had never seen her mother so mad in her life, but as Rowan had never spoken of Taylor’s father before, she had no idea why. After a lengthy discussion with the two of them, Hermes had revealed his true identity and with it, revealed to both of them that Taylor was a demigod. Disbelief and shock didn’t even begin to describe the emotions of both mother and daughter, but eventually they connected the dots and it all made sense.

Taylor was off to Olympus Academy a few months later, where she could learn and hone her abilities in safety, away from the rest of the world. She currently writes for and edits the school newspaper along with a few other misfits.

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"It's always the quiet ones you have to worry about..." — Hermes

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_{Godly Parent}

Hermes, the messenger god of trade, wealth, luck, thieves, travel and language.

_{Relationship With Godly Parent}

Although she hasn’t know about her heritage for too long, Taylor despises her father. All that matters to her is that he had abandoned her mother following her own birth and left her to raise a child all on her own. Nothing would change that, regardless of how much Hermes praised Taylor and sent her gifts. He would always be known to her as the father who left.

_{Demigod Abilities}

Aren’t you the cunning linguist... - Being the messenger of the gods means that there is no room for communication errors or language barriers. Taylor inherited this from her father and has the ability to both understand and speak most known languages in the mortal world. Every dialect of every known language, and some languages that aren’t. This also includes writing in most languages, no matter the alphabet.

I see you haven’t lost your silver tongue. - Another perk of being the daughter of Hermes is that Taylor is incredibly well spoken and has the ability to persuade the vast majority of people. Persuading demi-gods may be a bit more work, but it is certainly possible. Gods on the other hand? Well, there’s a first time to try everything.

It’s like email, just…better. - She couldn’t be the daughter of the messenger god without some way to send someone a message. Taylor has the ability to send anyone she can think of, a completely tangible and physical letter. Any envelope she marks with the Caduceus of Hermes can be whisked away with the flick of her hand to the recipient of her choosing. Instantly.

Key to the city...sort of. - Some may call it technomancy, but to Taylor it's just plain and simple. Given a bit of time and direct contact with the lock, Taylor can manipulate the internals of any lock to open it. It gets exponentially harder to the bigger the lock gets, medium-sized safes requiring upwards of a few minutes and bank-sized ones not being possible without near perfect concentration. However, the upside to this is that it does not tamper with the lock in any way and entry is near undetectable.

_{Sydney Sierota | Code:8781bd}

Palm Beach Royals: Senior Year

Not a second after she had made her proposal, April found herself whisked away from the table and on to the dancefloor, much to her pleasure. Having ditched her heels for a pair of simple flats while Kavi had been occupied at the table, the brunette now found herself lost in the music, even if it was yet another shitty electronic track. Her preoccupied mind had been put at ease by the thumping bass and was currently distracted by her rather handsome partner. A handsome partner who happened to be the one person that could get Santiago’s attention faster than any girl at King’s. You’re only with him because you need to be April… she thought, though truthfully April was having a hard time not being attracted to him. Or rather, his exterior.

It was hard for her to ignore Santiago’s entrance. Every bit of her brain screamed at her to turn and at least acknowledge his existence, but somehow she managed to hold back. Instead, April focused her attention to her partner once more, her calm brown eyes sparkling in the dimly lit tent. As she did, she felt Kavi’s hand creep around behind to the small of her back and pull her closer, the pair of them now pressed against one another. April shot a look up to Kavi--a look she knew he couldn’t see, but one he could most likely feel or anticipate-- and spoke just loud enough for him to hear. But the brunette remained silent for now, choosing instead to go along with his lead and sway her hips to the heavy electronic beat. Oh how she wished she could see the look on Santiago’s face now.

“That’s much better, isn’t it?” Kavi smiled.

“Be careful you don’t slip off the tightrope you’re walking and have it snap you in the balls.” She shot him a devilish grin in reply.

April had to admit, this was the most relaxed she’d felt since before her huge fight at the Devil’s den. Though Kavi had his flaws--flaws that most certainly would’ve driven her batshit crazy had she been forced to spend any more time with him at lunch--he was fun to hang around with and the brunette regretted nothing from this evening. Even if he did push the boundaries of her patience, there was way less drama with him than there had ever been with Santiago.

Did I really just think that..? April gently shook her head. Kavi was supposed to be a way for her to get Santiago’s attention, nothing more.

He wasn’t supposed to be a replacement.

A part of her panicked. Had it been too long since she’d spoken to Santiago? What if he thought she’d left him for good? Her steps faltered as her mind raced. Now it felt like instead of dancing with Kavi, she was just trying to keep up. She had to tell him. She had to tell Santi the truth. As much as she had been mad at him before, part of her still yearned for him to be close. For that feeling of safety and pure trust.

Part of April still loved Santiago and that wouldn’t likely change.

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