12 months later!
The Loves & Lovers…
This one has been a long time coming. It’s gonna be a weird one for me because I have played in this community for SO long, and have so many alts, and such a strong desire to engage with many people… So the list is long, haha. Which maybe looks sketch… And I am probably not going to mention every random person that my characters had a moment with. Just the special ones–and hopefully I don’t forget anybody and break some hearts! I can say, though… There’s a lot of overlap because I become obsessed with players and their amazing characters at times (hopefully not in a creepy way!). Hindsight: This post switches tenses. I’m sorry. I did not correct it. 
Also it’s gonna be long, guys… really long. I also realize I did this post differently than the friend post. It’s a lot more detailed and showcasing more, but it’s what came out as I started writing, so here we are!
Alice was lucky enough to have some amazing characters in her life overall, but also had two very important loves mixed in there. There are others, but these two held my heart the most, if I’m being honest. The first would be Dan, who was her polar opposite in nearly every way. He was reserved and quiet, thoughtful and rational. He spent a lot of his time avoiding the crowd and observing, which immediately attracted social butterfly Alice. They had a unique and beautiful relationship with lots of weird ups and downs, and maybe more volatility than two young characters normally would (including the time she was trapped in the body of a porcelain doll). Alice grew a lot with Dan, and maybe learned that sometimes it’s OK to be a little less whimsical, should the moment call for it. He grounded her at a time when she needed a bit of grounding, and I think they balanced each other well in their time together.
Alice’s other important love is a strange and unique man simply named Eleven. Back when Jules-player ran a bunch of amazing (and exhausting for him!) community plots, Alice was assisting in the case in one, and happened to cross paths with Eleven, who saw everything as charred shades of orange and wore 3-D glasses to feel more comfortable, whose body literally gave off heat strong enough to cause the fires he saw. It started in an asylum, and then went on to sprinkle cakes and weird Beltane celebrations, and continued with a beautiful love story and unique, fun, silly journey. Where Dan grounded Alice, Eleven embraced and brought out that wild and whimsical side of her. He reminded her it was perfectly fine to be strange and weird. Though I really don’t play Alice anymore, her story with Eleven continues somewhere in the world, with them navigating whatever comes their way with their fresh and sometimes crazy perspectives. Their romance also led to one of my amazing friendships in this community, and even more roleplay because I definitely latch onto players I enjoy…
Which leads to… Rye and Miles. Rye crossed paths with Miles (also played by Eleven’s player) MANY times, sometimes favorably, sometimes not. Miles reminded me a lot of a character from Rye’s written past, and his cool, calm, methodical way of existence just sort of balanced some of Rye’s more emotional, careless, chaotic energy. Theirs has always been a messy, sometimes broken attachment, but Miles always feels like Rye’s endgame somehow, like some sort of beacon in the night. There’s an acceptance there of whoever she is, and whatever she’s gotten into, that always feels like home for Rye, despite the sometimes toxic circumstances around them. Eleven and Miles are night and day characters, but that’s because the player is so damn talented and creative! 
I’ve enjoyed every scene we’ve ever written together–even the heartbreaking ones! And he’s been an important and wonderful friend since we first started playing together so long ago.
Every substantial relationship Rye has had in this iteration of her has started somewhat work-related, and she’s actually only ever dated other Illuminati. I think in part it’s because she’s so attached to the job (or so brainwashed by the higher ups), but also so guarded that it seemed unwise to risk attachment outside of Team Blue. So all her major relationships have been with other Illuminati, usually whom she worked with first–though not always. – An important mention here is Emmett, who was a subordinate, and a ‘problem employee,’ at that. I like to think there were outside hands at work in bringing them together, that maybe some higher up was hoping good-girl fall-in-line Rye would influence bad-boy Emmett to be a better soldier, and play better for Team Blue. Every moment with them, no matter what was happening, was always somehow attached to a debate or philosophical query. They argued amazingly well together, and challenged each other at every opportunity. There was always passion in everything they experienced together, romantic or otherwise, whether making out or making bets about baseball. <3 They were always fun to write, and Emmett’s player is incredibly clever, and an awesome person to BS with too!
Before Emmett there was Eiric, also Team Blue, also a ‘work thing’ first–It was Rye’s MO, after all. Rye and Eiric were amazing and also terrible for each other, enabling each other’s worst habits, while also genuinely wanting to take care of each other and do right by each other–and failing miserably some of the time. Eiric and Rye met during both of their lows with addiction and substance abuse, and that played prominently in early parts of their relationship. Eiric wanted to be the carefree guy, but also had a lot of past trauma and stress that came out in emotional, volatile ways. Their fights were explosive and their make-ups were tender. In the end, I think Rye did the final heart-breaking there. I should mention here I already knew Eiric’s player from another as-yet mentioned character, and he’s one of the coolest, most fun humans I know. He’s hilarious and creative and was always so fun to do anything with, whether it was gaming and BSing on voice, or writing these sweet and sometimes tragic scenes together. <3 I will always have a soft spot for their late night street veggie dogs & deep conversations ingame in New York. We made the most of that limited RP space (that STILL needs a nightclub).
And then there was Salem, the smart-mouthed, fast-talking bartender at the Crusades, and sometimes Illuminati grunt. Salem’s player is another ridiculously fun, amazing writer and I had a lot of time writing with him as Alice’s “Best,” Dawn. So naturally I was curious about the alt, because it’s me and I obsess over my RP friends’ creativity! Anyway, Rye met Salem while she was dating another Illuminati and one of their earliest interactions was Salem convincing her, the boyfriend, and a couple of their friends and colleagues to try some of the hottest pepper juice in the world. Chaos ensued, and fun RP times were had. Whoever says ‘bar RP’ sucks just is not a creative writer as far as I’m concerned. Anyway, from there led to frequent hangouts at the Crusades, silly conversations, and just the start of a chill friendship. Eventually it blossomed into more, and Salem also came to work for the team! –That’s also a trend that should be noted. Rye ended up frequently being involved in recruiting said dudes into The Host if they weren’t in it already–for better or worse. I think Salem and Rye’s worlds and worldviews were ultimately too different, and she was a little too dark of a character for someone as sweet and optimistic as Salem, but he forever has a place in her heart.
I should make a sidenote about the boyfriend mentioned: His name was Will, and the player is a super creative and cool writer who I was always a little too intimidated to really feel ‘on par with,’ if that makes sense. Their brief relationship and Rye’s heartbreak from it came at a time when I was not super confident as a writer, so there might have been some missed opportunity there. Rye and Will continued to poke in and out of each other’s lives, and despite the brevity of their initial relationship, he stayed one of the few trusted people in her life.
There are definitely others in Rye’s story, including a handsome but spoiled merman, a brokenhearted gentle soul consumed by a need to avenge a loved one (Carlos), and maybe a couple others, but I’m not mentioning everybody. Just some of the most iconic for me. One thing I should mention with Rye is she keeps ‘trinkets’ that were a part of those stories. She has a tiger’s eye heart-shaped stone Salem gave her, a seashell from Aramis (the merman), a ring from Carlos, a pair of high heels she will never wear, and other little mementos and special bits from these stories.
I should pick someone with way less partners to focus on next… someone like… Alana! She’s actually only had one romantic partner, despite a few crushes with misplaced feelings early on. She and Johannes–yep, Sia’s twiiiiiin–started talking more and goofing off and just had such natural chemistry that they made it more in the most… innocent and fun way possible, really. I think 99% of their relationship has been offscreened, though, with his player and I occasionally coming together to start and fail a scene together over and over again. Johannes’ player is another really fun person who’s easy to write with, and I feel lucky we’ve had these cool character connections. I also adore the character Jo. He’s precious!
Probably a good time to talk about his sister Sia. I think one of the briefest, but most impactful relationships Sia had was with a character named Tommy, played by a player I always respected and was maybe a little intimidated by. Anxiety is a bitch. Their chemistry was strong and they had amazing conversations, and I think one actual date that involved riding the NYC subway and playing Subway Bingo together. She was too young and too sweet/innocent for him and the IC reality of that was a slap in the face for the character, but in a very real way. It made her better understand what set her apart from so many other characters within “the secret world.” At the time, it caused a lot of inner strife for the character, but in time she learned to appreciate what her own unique experiences and perspective brought to the table, in work, relationships, and basically all aspects of her life.
A series of other choices and people led Sia through a couple relationships and had her working with Aaron, who teetered on disdain and pity in early dealings with Sia. Eventually, though, their shared work experiences, bonding over music, and a weird night of arm wrestling led to a more comfortable friendship, which blossomed into more one fateful night at a karaoke event at the Crusades. Sia helped Aaron relax a little, and she brought out a fun, playful side to him that many people didn’t get to see (maybe Drina… ). Aaron’s player is a phenomenal writer and every scene we did with them was layered with unique details and fun tidbits. When he decided his time in the community was coming to an end, I was definitely sad. It’s never easy when a roleplay partner’s time or life or interests change, because not only do you miss the character, but you miss the person behind it and the cool experience they bring to the table. I think for a stretch I implied the two were still together before letting things go. I don’t think we ever roleplayed a proper “breakup” for the two of them. Life just got in the way. In the Secret World especially, that’s definitely a valid reason to end a relationship. Their lives are extremely messy.
I didn’t expect for Sia to have any other relationships at this point, or really much of a story. The community had started to dwindle and I wasn’t actively writing much on her. And then along came… a ghost! Yep. An actual “ghost.” Mostly. Anybody who knows Sia knows she has some very unique powers that go beyond normal medium stuff, so it made sense that when a ghost started tweeting to the community, she’d make fast friends–especially if that ghost is played by a player I already adore and love talking with, writing with, etc. Ezra’s played by the same person who plays Runi, Gabe, and Dan ( <3 who I have yet to talk about), and others. And we’ve gotten to write so many amazing stories and scenes together on so many characters. But Sia’s and Ezra’s story is its own blend of weird and unique, with Ezra often in the form of an ethereal being. She brought him on a few private cases involving hauntings before they fully bonded over their own outcast statuses, and love of snark. Their relationship is a mix of quirkiness and serious moments. It’s a weird and fun bond, and Sia’s brother making fun of her for it only adds to it!
I think I’m down to just my two Dragon characters, but since this has gotten SO LONG I might post this on its own… Don’t worry! I won’t forget Benja and Drina!
