#character: robin astrea

[ageofpiracyrp]

PLOT DROP 32: DIFFUSION

When The Prosperity enters the area around Kor'sel'Koo where communications transmissions are most accessible, Muffy and Hero find themselves met with a wave of messages to sift through and sort.

To Skylar and Ali from Karmel: Happy belated anniversary in Earth years. Enjoy a round of drinks at Yggld Drinks on me. [Enclosed is a gift certificate for a round of ten shots from the Water Bar and Alcohol Bar chain Yggld Bars, which is ubiquitous in every major settlement on Kor'Sel'Koo.]

To Beck from "K": If you've made it safely and find yourself with a spot of free time, I'd love if you visited.

To Ali from Zuytri: Hi, Friend! Here's the contact information for that person we were talking about that I think you might want to meet. Medri in room 806 Jallik in the Ulsgian Moon Retirement Community.

To Laurie from Viola Dessamer of Revvly Capsule Hotels: Thank you for signing up for the Revvly Capsule Hotels communications list. If you are in need of a safe space, we are always here for you. Read between the lines, and always feel free to reach out if you need a place to stay or cruelty-free, sustainably sourced, and practical meals.

To Theo from someone in the music business in Different City [the equivalent of about $200 in gixys are included]: Hello, Theo. Enclosed are some royalties from the sales of your music. It isn't that many gixys, but I'm pleased to let you know that some of your songs have been gaining a few fans. We anticipate being able to send you some more in six months.

To HJ from Junyi: Hey, bae!! It's really starting to be a long time since we've seen each other but I don't think I'll ever miss you any less. Work is going so good that I think I might be getting quasi-semi-kind of famous. I got some AH MAY ZING new tsum tsums and I stacked all of the ones I could find into a giant pyramid. Sometimes I think 'hey, Junyi, maybe you have a problem with collecting' but then I make a giant pyramid and everything is okay. I'm sending you a collection of my favorite memes that I've found over the last week and I hope that you cherish at least one of them because they made me smile and think of how nice it would be to look at memes with you. Did you know that "meme" rhymes with "steam"? I didn't know that until yesterday. Anyway anyway anyway I love you soooo much and you're sooooo pretty and sooooo good at communicating, HJ. I think about how happy I was to get to meet you all the time and how lucky I am to get to continue to talk to you.

To Robin from Jayvon: Robin, hello! Just wanted to let you know that I started a new job as a close combat officer on a brand new pirate crew, The Dreamhouse. I love it, and I'm glad that I have someone to tell the good news. If our crews are ever in the same area (I'm on Marloken right now), we should meet up and exchange stories.

To Marshall from her Dads: Marshall! We heard you would be going to Kor'Sel'Koo, so we are sending some of our favorite pictures of you and the family when you were younger and we lived there. Also, enclosed are up-to-date addresses and contact information for your cousins and other family. If you have the time, I'm sure they would love to meet up. All of us send our love!

To Daphne from Muzzain: Coast is clear still. Looking forward to meeting with you. "If you're out on the road Feelin' lonely and so cold All you have to do is call my name". These are poignant lyrics from the Gilmore Girls theme song. My name is Muzzain. Until we meet.

To Samira from Makhaira: How is your life going? We exchanged contact information a while back, but I never wrote. I don't know how much you want to hear this, but I've picked up a new hobby: pickleball. It's the one thing I'm a little better at than most of my family, but they haven't given up on playing. We installed our own court, which sounds completely rich erkuss girl of me, but I'm glad for it. What's been keeping you busy?

To Ian from Marlene: It was very nice to see you, Ian. I'm glad that you seem happy with your new crew, and I hope we can meet up again sometime. I don't like to mean ill will of others, but if I had to pick a different ship to crew on than my own, it would be Prosperity. Safe travels.

To Beck from Julia: Hey, Wanker. I know your birthday's not for a few weeks, but apparently the Three Stooges from the galx got their act together and won't leave us the hell alone. The twins wanted to make sure you got their birthday video messages. While they're starting to be rebellious little buggers (I know I'm getting old when I shake my head and sigh saying teenagers) they do love and miss you. They made me say something nice because I called you wanker but I think you're all right.

To Marshall from Oplo: You fixed our air conditioning, correct? Can you send tips?

To Daniel from Seetha: Hi, Daniel! I've missed talking with you so much, I've come to realize. I wanted to tell SOMEONE that isn't being a big meanie (Leo, he's being a big meanie) that I have a boyfriend now! :) His name is Frodo and he's so darling. I think you'd get along famously if you met. My captain is getting sentimental and sending messages to your ship, so I thought I'd send them too.

To Ryder from Seetha: I heard how Leo treated you from him and I am APPALLED. I know it was a while ago, but he's been so bratty and callous to you and also sweet Daniel and Ian. It sounds like he's cleared the air before, but it still doesn't sound right to me. Let me know if you need me to get a real apology out of that meanie on your terms. I know he'll actually mean it because he's apparently stopping his weird bedroom behavior and slowly but surely coming to terms with that. My goodness. You don't deserve that weird behavior.

To Skylar from Kenna: [It's just a picture of French fries with a digital smiley face drawn over]

--

By the time the crew touches down on Kor'Sel'Koo on 3/22/24, all of the messages have been sorted and provided and we pick up a new crew member: Mari, a quirky mate who is 4'6" of apparently pure enthusiasm.

The crew doesn't immediately settle down, as there are messages to read and Gilmore Gilrs to figure out.

--

Muzzain, the far'ly'dae one who ordered all of that Gilmore Girls merchandise, is staying temporarily in Wuunzek, a smallish city about an hour (by underground tunnel train) from Twarvu.

Wuunzek includes a variety of amenities, including Yggld Bars, the Inspired By Earth Waterpark (it's got a lazy river, a waterslide, and a wave pool), an enormous vitamin store aimed at Ly'Daesun called Yonrur, and more.

Wuunzek Population: 89% Far’Ly’Dae, 9% Erkuss, 1% Vanneer, 1% Carrek.

The process of getting the Gilmore Girls merchandise to the right place now will be... annoying because most of it actually needs to go to Twarvu. While it would normally take an hour and a half, the crew will probably take a full 24 hours to get their surreptiously.

[robinastrea]

ian + robin

Date: April 30, 2024 Location: The Rec Room, Prosperity, Kor’Sel’Koo Characters: Robin Astrea and Ian Solko @iansolko Description: Ian loses a guitar pick, and Robin lifts a couch.

Robin headed into the rec room for some writing and quiet, not really expecting anyone else to be in the space, since they were still docked on Kor’Sel’Koo.  And yet, there was someone here already.  Ian most likely, though he was sprawled across the floor on his stomach, a mess of dark strands of hair covering his face as he tried in vain to reach his arm under the sofa.  If he were Theo or his brothers, Robin might be inclined to lay down close to him, but they weren’t quite there in terms of familiarity.  Even so, he moved closer and shifted to a crouching position, parting Ian’s fringe out of his eyes.  “What are you looking for?”  He wondered.

Ian’s large eyes darted up to look towards him--not meeting his face, though, as he clearly couldn’t crane his neck that far.  “Robin.”  He said as if answering an invisible question. “Um…this pick that pretty much just flew under the couch out of my hand!” He continued.  “Maybe I would just leave it, but Beck got it for me and it’s heart-shaped because she's my Valentine's bae…and also if I left it that would be littering, wouldn’t it?”

Hearing a lot of information in a short amount of time, Robin simply shrugged.  “If you leave something under there, it’s something the mates will have to clean up.  So it depends on whether you feel bad about Greg cleaning up your guitar picks…or Mari,” he added quietly, but Ian still heard him.

“Oh.  Right.  I’ll just give Mari guitar picks directly instead…maybe not these ones, though…” The entertainer was muttering to themself now, their arm still lodged, perhaps even stuck under the couch.  They didn’t seem too uncomfortable, but they did look to be growing tired of this situation.  Robin sighed gently, then stood up and moved over to the side of the couch.  Then after patting his pockets to make sure his comm was firmly in place and hadn’t fallen out, he lifted the side of it up with some effort, but effort he could sustain for a little while.

Surprised and with his arm no longer wedged, Ian looked up at Robin in wonder.  “Wow.  Look at those arm veins…”

Robin squinted his eyes at him at that.  Ian seemed to realize what he was supposed to be doing a beat later.  “Right.  Sorry.”  The musician located the pick and darted in and out of the couch’s way quickly.  Robin set it down quickly after that, letting out a breath and finding a seat on the floor.

Ian moved to a sitting position close by, then patted Robin’s shoulder.  “Hey, thanks man.  I feel like I just keep owing you!  Like, I find out stuff about you that you probably don’t want me to know, now you’re lifting up couches for me…does Theo know you can do that?  I bet he’d write yet another song about you if he did…”

He formed a wry smile.  “You don’t owe me if you find out things about me,” Robin answered, deciding not to comment on the Theo bit.  He then followed up while attempting to sound nonchalant: “But what things are you talking about?” 

“Uh…” Ian looked down and suddenly fidgeted with the strings of his hoodie.  “We've talked about your background a little, so you already know I know about that...let's see, new stuff. You know I know that you’re afraid of falling.  Heights?  One or both.  And I know that sometime…maybe fairly recently…you seriously dated a guy named Salem.  I mean, I assume he’s a past-tense, I don’t know your life--”

“We’re not together anymore,” Robin cut them off.  He didn’t expect his ex’s name to come from the entertainer, and it suddenly unnerved him.  His hand reached up to rub the back of his neck.  “I’m assuming Ryder also shared that with you?”  Ian nodded, so he continued.  “It’s fine if you know.  He and I dated publicly, and he was a navigator on the ship, so it’s not as if it’s a secret…and lots of people are afraid of falling,” Robin added defensively.

“As people should be,” Ian nodded, reaching for his guitar.  “But I know other important stuff, too, like that you eat citrus-y fruits with your breakfast…if you even eat breakfast, because you skip sometimes.  And that you never drink coffee black.  You always put something in it.”  They started humming instead of talking now, strumming something Robin didn’t recognize on their guitar.

“Those last two things aren’t things you can hold over me, though,” Robin pointed out, noting that Ian could be observant when he wanted to be.  “Well-” he reconsidered, “Don’t tell Ryder or Muffy I skip breakfast sometimes.”

“Mm. No promises,” Ian sang softly.

“Besides,” Robin comfortably brought his knees to his chest.  “I know stuff about you now, too.”

Ian paused his guitar playing at that, now looking inquisitively and also a bit uncomfortably at him.  “Nuh-uh,” he answered.

“Yeah-huh,” Robin replied in a very mature way that was clearly indicative of his first-mate status.  “Let’s see.  I know you and Mari have some history.”

He wasn’t expecting Ian to actually relax at that, as if he’d expected Robin to have found out something else about him, but he’d take it.  Whatever that piece of information Ian wanted hidden, he wasn’t going to pry.

Robin continued.  “You told her a bunch of information about the multi-ship deal with the Empress, right?  Information that might have even been classified to your ship?  But...I’m assuming that you did that because you two were close at some point.”

“Are close,” Ian corrected without looking at him, instead eyeing the neck of his guitar and miming some chords with his fingers, though he wasn’t actually playing now.  “Mari was and is very special to me.  And given the chance to do it all over again, I’d tell her the same stuff.  Maybe even more stuff.  It was really important for her to know,” he finished simply, leaving little room to argue.

“Yeah.  I figured that,” Robin said, reminding himself of his and Mari’s talk in the cafeteria.

“So you’re not chastising me about telling her?”  Ian asked.

“No, I guess I’m not.  But I'm going to have to strongly advise you not to share information with non-crew again.”

“Yes, sir.”  The entertainer nodded, actually strumming again with his heart-shaped pick.  Again, the song was something he didn’t recognize.  It was pretty good, though.  Robin rested his chin on his knees, listening for a minute or so while also watching Ian literally do their job.  But they didn’t play like it was their job; the older was clearly in their element, the guitar an extension of their hands, even.  They were a lot like Theo in that way.  

Then Ian caught him reeling once again with his next question, out of the blue, though he was speaking in a very quiet tone.  “Hey, Robin.  Did you love Salem?”

“I-” he really had to fight to keep himself from growing tense, but he did recoil slightly.  That really wasn’t Ian’s business…but he was sure they were asking for a reason.  “Yeah,” he admitted, then added, “But definitely not anymore.  I got hurt too much for those feelings to last.”

“I’m really sorry for bringing it up,” Ian frowned at him, possibly catching onto his reaction.  “So, is it possible for you personally to love someone and then stop loving them?  Or does it always stay around?”

“Um.”  It was safe to say Robin had never been asked that before.  He had to think about it for a moment.  Ian was patient and solemn in a way that was surprising to him, as he was typically a ball of energy.  “I guess…" he decided, "In some way, the love never goes away once it was there in the first place.  But I think there’s other equally-important things in a relationship, like trust and safety, that once gone for me are gone forever.  And without those things, love is almost irrelevant.”  Hopefully Robin didn’t have to spell out that Salem had lost those things, and luckily Ian nodded in understanding.  And he didn’t have to spell out this next part either, but he would anyway.  “I love and trust and feel safe with Theo, by the way,” he added. “Much more.”

Ian suddenly grinned, almost too knowingly at that.  “That’s good, because Theo’s like, in love with you.”

Robin knew that, but it gave him a flutter of happiness to hear it.

“I wasn’t going to ask, but then you asked me about my ex, so I guess it’s your turn,” Robin returned.  “Do you love Mari?”

Ian balked at that, but sounded like he was attempting to use a normal tone.  “Of course,” he said.  “She’s one of my best friends.  I already said she was special to me, yeah?”

“Yeah, you did.  All right,” they both knew that friendship love wasn’t exactly what Robin was talking about, but he wasn’t going to push.  “I’m going to do some writing now, so…feel free to do whatever it is you do, mate.  No need to entertain me,” he clarified, pulling out his journal and pens from his bag and resting on the couch.

In his peripheral vision, Robin watched Ian wrestle with this information, the idea of not needing to entertain him seeming to throw the entertainer for a loop.  He eventually put his guitar back into its case and covered his hoodie over his head, lying comfortably on the floor.  When Robin glanced over at him again ten minutes later, he noticed Ian had fallen asleep, his mouth hanging open as he began snoring.  He was also curled up into what the musician had accurately deemed in the group chat once as a fetal position.  Well, that was fast.

Robin gave a small, quiet laugh.  He wished he had a jacket or a blanket to cover over him, but that was all right. He pushed his glasses up onto his nose and turned his attention back to his journal, continuing to write as Ian’s snoring provided a weird sort of white noise.

[skylarclarke]

Tell Your Brothers - Stat!

Date: October 25, 2023 Location: The Prosperity (currently on Sturn, outside the town of Ustust) Characters: Ryder Astrea ( @ryderastrea ), Robin Astrea ( @robinastrea ), Skylar Clarke Description: After Ryder and Daniel don’t watch a movie.

( Googledoc linked here! )

[theoseong]

The Runaway

Date: November 2017 and July 2021 Location: Rungung and Different City Characters: Theo Seong and Charles Seong (Robin and Ryder Astrea mentioned) Description: Theo leaves Rungung and goes back again. Triggers: death, grief and mentions of starvation.

November 2017 - Theo is 23 years old

Theo’s gaze shifted from the bus ticket in his hand to the packed bags and guitar in his bedroom, leaving his room the barest it’d ever been. It was now or never. His bus for Different City left tomorrow at seven in the morning, and he still hadn’t told his dad he was leaving. It got more and more tempting to just leave without saying goodbye. That way he wouldn’t have to face his dad’s disappointment. 

A bitter part of him thought his dad might deserve that. All his life, it felt like the damn diner meant more to him than Theo did. He never gave a shit what Theo wanted–never even bothered to ask. He just decided he was going to take over for him one day. Maybe, Theo should’ve told his dad the truth from the start, but it felt like his only real option was to just leave, because he was never going to accept the truth. His dad would have to now though, because Theo was going on that bus even if it broke his heart.

Sighing, Theo forced himself to stop stalling and left his bedroom, heading for the kitchen where his dad was sitting at the table, balancing the books. Without a word, he dropped the ticket directly on top of the book. His dad gave Theo a confused look and set down the pen, lifting the ticket to examine it closely. 

“Different City? You didn’t tell me you’re going on a trip…” He said slowly, and Theo could practically see the gears turning in his head.

“It’s not a trip, dad. I’m moving there. I know I should’ve said something earlier, but–”

“Hold on, son. Slow down. You’re moving there? What are you talking about?” His dad asked in rapid succession, pushing himself out of his seat to look at his son directly. He didn’t seem mad yet, just completely lost. Theo couldn’t blame him. He went about this all wrong.

“I’m twenty-three, I have all my certifications, and I have money saved from the diner. I’m leaving,” Theo listed off in a flat tone. For some reason, it felt like if he kept emotions out of this and just sprouted facts it would avoid the inevitable explosion, but he knew that wasn’t true. He could see it brewing in his father as his expression shifted from confused to betrayed.

“Leaving? What about the diner, Theo? I need you around here to help–to take over one day. This isn’t the plan.”

“Your plan, dad. This isn’t your plan,” Theo snapped, immediately losing all his sense of cool. “I hate the diner. The last thing I want is to spend the rest of my life flipping pancakes and mopping syrup off the floor. That’s your dream, not mine.” 

It was probably the worst thing he could ever say to his father, “I hate the diner,” but it was the truth. Theo held so much resentment for so many years that it festered into an ugly, hateful thing. His dad’s pride and joy felt like a prison to him, and he couldn’t stay here anymore or else he’d go crazy. 

Theo’s dad reeled back like he’d been slapped, his eyes narrowing into a glare. His cheeks started to flush red the angrier he became. He and his dad never fought, and he never saw him lose his temper, but he had a feeling that was about to change in a few seconds. 

“This is–this is ridiculous, Theo. You’re not making any sense. You never said any of this before. What’re you going to do in Different City? You barely passed your certifications,” his dad countered, his voice practically raising with every word.

“When was I supposed to tell you, dad? It’s all you fucking talk about! It’s all you care about. This stupid place is your entire life, and you just force it onto me. You didn’t even ask,” Theo yelled, his chest heaving as he got more worked up, “and I want to play music, by the way. You would’ve known that if you actually paid attention to me.” 

“Music!?” His dad shouted before letting out a humorless laugh. It stung more than Theo expected that he acted like the idea was a big joke, and it caused his shoulders to sink, but he refused to back down. He wasn’t giving up. 

“So, let me see if I understand this, Theo. You’re running away from home, abandoning all your responsibilities and your family, to play music? Do you know how many people actually make it as musicians? Do you know how much being a struggling artist pays? On top of rent, food, basic needs. You’ll starve.” 

Theo faltered for a beat, swallowing roughly around the lump forming in his throat. He knew it was a risk, but he spent so much time planning this out, and it was one he was willing to take. He couldn’t just stay here forever, because he was afraid of failing. 

“I won’t,” he shook his head. “I’m good at this. Someone will sign me. And if they don’t–well, I’d rather be a starving artist than a diner owner.” 

Theo’s father never hit him before, but he looked like he might as he took a step forward like he was squaring up to him, and he braced himself for the potential impact, but it never came. Instead, he pointed a finger in his face, his voice dropping low.

“I’ve never been so disappointed in you in my life, Theo.”

Theo knew it was coming. It was why he waited so long to tell him. It didn’t soften the blow though. His dad was the only close family he had left, and Theo just destroyed that. If Theo left, he didn’t think they’d ever come back from it. As selfish as it was, that was a decision he made a long time ago, and he accepted it. 

“Yeah, well,” he began with a feigned nonchalant shrug. “You don’t have to like it, but it’s happening.” 

Falling silent, he reached around his dad and grabbed his ticket from the table and stalked towards his bedroom to grab his stuff. His bus wasn’t until the morning, but there was no way he was staying here tonight. He’d stay at a friend’s house or find a hotel. His dad called after him, but Theo steadily ignored him as he shrugged on his guitar case and picked up his duffle bag. 

Theo had to push past his dad as he left the bedroom, avoiding his gaze as he walked towards the front door. His dad shouted after him the entire time, until he slammed the door shut and muffled the sound. Theo didn’t pause once as he jogged down the steps, afraid if he did he’d turn back and change his mind. 

July 2021 - Theo is 26 years old 

Theo woke up to the sound of one of his four roommates banging around in the kitchen, prompting him to let out a groan and bury his face in his pillow. He was still hungover from the night before after his band celebrated their gig with many, many shots. They probably spent more on drinks than they were actually paid, but that was pretty typical for them. These bars barely paid anything.

Cracking an eye open, Theo reached for his phone and checked the time, grumbling to himself when he saw it was almost two in the afternoon. His stomach rumbled loudly, but he ignored it for now. All he had left in the pantry was a few packs of instant ramen, and he was trying to make it last. He tried to distract himself from the headache and hunger by scrolling idly through social media, stalking a few old friends and exes. His profile was under a fake name, so he could look into people from his past without being discovered. There was a post that was a few days old from Robin and Ryder’s birthday. He let his gaze linger on Robin for a second too long, murmuring “cute” to himself before he moved on. 

Theo paused when he landed on a post from The Sunrise Diner. Most of their posts were just aesthetically pleasing photos of breakfast food to promote the place, but this was a picture of his dad with a lot of text underneath. It took Theo to realize the words at the top said, “In memory of Charles Seong.” 

His entire body went numb suddenly, all the sound from the apartment drowning out to a dull roar. He read the rest of the post without really processing it. His gaze landed on the words “passed away,” “heart attack,” “will be missed.” Theo didn’t know how long he stared at his phone. It felt like time stopped and his body slowly shut down, everything coming to a complete standstill. 

His dad died. His dad died, and Theo just found out through a social media post. His dad died, and Theo just found out through a social media post, because he ran away from home, changed his number, and never spoke to his dad again. One of the last things Theo ever said to him was that he hated the diner and he’d rather be a starving owner than a diner owner. Which was exactly what he was now. 

Theo’s hands began to tremble so violently that his phone fell and landed with a “thud” on his bare chest. He had no idea what to do. He’d been so stupidly stubborn over the years. No matter how much rejection he faced, how little money he had, and how poor his living conditions were, he refused to go home. He refused to prove his dad right. His dad died being disappointed in Theo.

It all felt so fucking stupid now. 

Without fully processing what he was doing, Theo picked his phone back up and checked his bank balance. He only had enough for a one way bus ticket and nothing else. Taking a deep, trembling breath, he opened the transportation website and hastily paid for an overnight bus ride to Rungung.

Whether he was a failure or not, he had no choice but to go back home. There was nothing for him in Different City, and there hadn't been in a long time. No family, nothing that really meant anything--just a band that wouldn't go anywhere and a shitty apartment. He should've done this years ago, but he let his pride get the best of him, and now it was too late.

Theo's dad was gone, and the only thing he had left of him was that damn diner.

[danieleansworth]

Movie Time

Date: October 25, 2023 Location: The Prosperity (currently on Sturn, outside the town of Ustust) Characters: Ryder Astrea (@ryderastrea), Daniel Eansworth Mentioned Characters: Skylar Clarke-Iz’an, Ian Solko, Blue Sreleku, Robin Astrea, Alioth Clarke-Iz’an Description: Ryder and Daniel do NOT watch a movie.

( A link to the googledoc can be found here! )

[iansolko]

Taste Test

Date: June 28, 2023 Location: The Kitchen, Prosperity Characters: Daniel Eansworth @danieleansworth, Ian Solko Characters Mentioned: Ryder Astrea, Robin Astrea Description: Daniel requires Ian’s knowledge and ability to eat, to taste some chocolates for the twins’ birthday.

(google doc thread here)

[salem-ilmari]

Sick Salem

Date: October 3, 2022 

Location: Navigation Room 

Characters: Salem Ilmari, Robin Astrea @robinastrea 

Characters mentioned: Lydia Seong, Ryder Astrea 

Description: Salem isn’t feeling well, and Robin tries to help.

 (link to googledoc thread here)

[ryderastrea]

a dad and son talk

Date: October 26, 2022 Location: Ergo, Twarvu, Kor’Sel’Koo Characters: Ryder and Henry Astrea Description: Henry checks in on Ryder when he notices them looking a little down. Characters Mentioned: Robin and Alisz Astrea, Skylar Clarke-Iz’an, Salem Ilmari, Derros Laernal, (Stella, Laurie, and Blue are implied?) 

Ryder quickly found out how intimidating it was to spend the night on the dance floor when their mother was watching, and they were trying to pretend like they didn’t secretly dream about becoming a dancer. After a glass of wine, crush reveals, awkwardly dancing with their dad, and checking on Robin, they ended up back at their table, picking at their second slice of wedding cake. 

The wedding couldn’t go more perfectly, and they were both relieved and happy for the newly married couple. Ryder hated that they felt drained. Maybe it was the stress of it all or reuniting with their parents–or even just being surrounded by people in love while feeling lonely. Either way, they just needed a minute to themself. 

It was a short-lived minute when Henry took the free seat next to him and gave him a soft smile. “What’re you doing here all by yourself, Ry? You should be celebrating Sky with the others,” He said. 

“I’m eating cake,” Ryder replied as they gestured to their plate before sliding it towards their dad. “Want some?” 

Henry seemed to contemplate it for a moment. “I shouldn’t be eating so much cake in my old age, but if you insist…” He took Ryder’s fork and cut into the half-eaten slice of cake. “So, do you have a secret boyfriend I should know about too? I saw you with Derros earlier.” 

Ryder snorted and rolled their eyes, earning them a feigned offended look.

“Don’t roll your eyes at me. It’s an honest question. Robin introduced us to Salem earlier. He’s nice–very polite. He kept calling me “sir,” Henry paused to laugh. “I just wanted to know if I should expect the same from you.” 

Ryder shook their head and sank lower in their seat, looking out to the crowd on the dance floor. “Nope. No secret boyfriend. I’m still as single as I’ve always been,” he muttered. Maybe one day he wouldn’t feel so sad about it, he knew that wanting so much would just make it less likely to happen, but they couldn’t exactly control it. 

Ryder couldn’t see his dad’s face, but he could practically feel the pity radiating from him, which was only solidified when he patted their hair gently. “There’s nothing wrong with being single,” he said eventually. “The right guy will come along.”

Biting their lower lip, they made a non-committal noise in response. Ryder knew their dad was just trying to make them feel better, but they were honestly getting tired of hearing it. You’re young, you’ll find someone someday, you just haven’t met the right person yet, anyone would want you. That was the thing though, no one did, so it just felt like empty promises. Sure, they were young, but they were getting older. Next year, they’d be twenty-five. Most people had several significant others by then, and Ryder still hadn’t had one. They were interrupted from their thoughts when Henry nudged them, forcing them to actually look at him. 

“There you are. You were a million miles away. What’s going on with you, kiddo? You seem really down. You were so quiet on the dance floor earlier,” he said with a worried frown. 

“I’m fine,” Ryder answered immediately with a strained smile. “I’m just tired from the wedding planning. It was hard to put this together in only a month.” 

“I bet. You and your brother did an amazing job. It’s just my job as your dad to worry about you. Are you happy on the ship? I…” Henry faltered like he was trying to decide the right thing to say. Alisz wasn’t there, but she was still in the room, so Ryder wouldn’t be surprised if he still felt the need to be careful. “I know you have Sky and Robin there with you, but I was never sure if the traveling pirate lifestyle was for you.” 

Ryder tried their best not to react, but they visibly swallowed before looking away again. “I like traveling,” they answered vaguely, “ and I like my crew mates. I’m really close with a few of them.” It’s being a medic I don’t like, they added mentally. “Really, dad. I’m fine. You don’t need to worry. Like you said, I have Sky and Bin. I’m really just tired, and my eyes are sore from crying during the ceremony.”

They stood up suddenly, ready to stop this conversation. They looked down at Henry with a forced grin. “Let’s go back to the dance floor. We can try to get mum and Robin to join. I finally taught Robin to do more than a box step.” 

Henry just looked at them for a beat before smiling and nodding before getting to his feet. “Well, that I’ve got to see. Come on.”

[carrekiblue]

Sunday, September 4, 2022 7:54 pm Molfaun Beach

Summary: Blue has some thoughts about the upcoming meeting. It’s a real short thing debated leaving this one in the drafts Characters: Blue Sreleku, Robin Astrea Characters Mentioned: Ryder Astrea

Blue was only planning on taking a short beach nap. They would hopefully be leaving Molfaun soon, after this meeting with the Empress, and they had felt a mix of emotions, but mostly nerves, over being included in the main action with the meeting. They knew they weren’t the best talker, and they just hoped they wouldn’t have to, that Glyon wasn’t lying about the ticket holders not having to carry their respective part. Their first instinct, though, when their mind was back and forth like this, was to head to the ocean, and being stuck on an ocean planet had brought that at least. She’d watched the ocean waves lap back and forth, and felt a little reprieve in their mind, enough to relax onto the sand, and decided maybe it would be good to rest the eyes for a moment. The next thing she registered, though, was the sky was considerably darker, and the Laykul that were around were all long gone. The other thing she registered was that someone actually had nudged her awake. “What--” their eyes adjusted to a figure over her, squinting. “Robin?” Blue guessed. “What are you doing on the beach? I thought you couldn’t swim, or something.” They saw him stiffen a bit. “That would be Ryder,” he amended her statement, and did not elaborate further. “You were just…laying there, not moving. I was sort of making sure you weren’t dead,” Robin said sheepishly. “Oh.”  Blue didn’t know what to do with that.  “Well, thanks, boss. Don’t worry, I’m alive and well,” Blue slowly pulled herself up, dusting the sand off of her. Another thought occurred to them: “Aren’t you supposed to be at the palace preparing for the meeting tomorrow?” Robin’s expression was neutral, but he raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you? “Fair enough.” Blue paused for a moment, then offered, “I guess I was out here to think about it. There’s a lot to think about. With the meeting,” they added. They watched his expression shift to something resembling a bit of conflict, as if he were considering his next words back and forth. He turned away and watched the water, the sun now setting behind it. “That’s why I’m out here, too,” Robin said finally, sighing. “We don’t really have to negotiate with someone with as high a title, ever, and we don’t know what she’ll be like...or what will happen…” he looked at her apologetically. “Sorry. You came here to not think about those kinds of things.” They gave a small laugh, giving him a nudge. “I did. But I’m glad I’m not crazy.  I’m also mostly worried about…I don’t know. Messing it up for everyone. That the Empress will make me do all of the talking during my half hour, which happens to be the last one, and that I’ll say something that makes them kick us off the planet without our money, or something.” Blue had no real idea why they were rambling, or why they were saying this to Robin, of all people. She supposed it was because he was here, and he had turned his attention to her, listening as if he were hanging off her every word. Then Robin gave her a soft smile, and Blue was a little caught off guard by how his smile seemed to spread to his whole face. “I also worry about that,” he admitted softly, putting his hands into his pockets. “I think Glyon was being truthful, though--and that you won’t have to talk any more than you’re comfortable with. If you don’t want to talk at all, well, that’s what I’m here for. But, I think you’re very smart, and you can more than handle yourself in there,” Robin said in an assuring tone. “I guess…if you aren’t comfortable still, let me know before the meeting if you have anything you want me to specifically bring up?” Blue blinked, not expecting…well, any of it: the empathy, the pep-talk, and the way he was communicating this in a very sincere tone. “I don’t think that’ll be necessary, Astrea,” she said. “But thank you. I guess we will both try our best tomorrow. Or else.” They gave him a light punch on the arm, which he chuckled at. “I guess so,” Robin replied. “I’ll see you later, Blue,” he gave a small wave and turned to head back to the palace. “See you later...Alligator,” Blue answered to his back, which garnered another laugh from him.

[dunbonnets]

a COMPLETE MASTERLIST of all the fanfiction original characters created by DUNBONNETS, what fandom/fanfiction/series they belong to, their ships, and where you can find edits specifically made for them.

sonja smith from of dreams and freedom, an attack on titan fanfic. ( armin arlert ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

reiko matsuda from until i found you, a demon slayer fanfic. ( inosuke hashibira ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

sayuri kameda from gilded lily, a demon slayer fanfic. ( giyuu tomioka ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

misaki kobayashi from blood red sun, a demon slayer fanfic. ( tanjiro kamado ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

brian randall-fraser from deep heart's core // the sands of time saga, an outlander fanfic series. ( oc pairing ) ✶ character tag. ship tag. ship tag.

moira hawethorne from deep heart's core // the sands of time saga, an outlander fanfic series. ( oc pairing ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

katherine johanson from deep heart's core // the sands of time saga, an outlander fanfic series. ( oc pairing ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

marjorie graham from where the heart is, an outlander fanfic. ( fergus fraser ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

lady juliette lockhart from steel magnolia // love is a garden series, a bridgerton fanfic series. ( anthony bridgerton ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

lord ambrose bridgerton from paper rings // a series of love stories, a bridgerton fanfic series. ( oc pairing ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

lady clara whittemore from paper rings // a series of love stories, a bridgerton fanfic series ( oc pairing ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

zakaria zatara from mystical bond // the divine justice saga, a young justice fanfic series. ( conner kent ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

zeppelin zatara from mystical bond // the divine justice saga, a young justice fanfic series. ( cassandra sandsmark ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

giovanna zatara from mystical bond // the divine justice saga, a young justice fanfic series. ( oc pairing ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

spencer barnes from follow your arrow // the divine justice saga, a young justice fanfic series. ( artemis crock ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

virginia adler from out of time // the earth-5871 series, an mcu fanfic series. ( steve rogers ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

astrea voss from infinite galaxies // the earth-5871 series, an mcu fanfic series. ( peter quill ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

viper/madame hydra from viper // the earth-5871 series, an mcu fanfic series. ( tony stark ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

edwina brock from symbiosis // the earth-5871 series, an mcu fanfic series. ( hope van dyne ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

ares from catch the wind // the earth-5871 series, an mcu fanfic series. ( sersi ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

alan milne/christopher robin from the weight of us // the heart of a hero series, a once upon a time fanfic series ( emma swan ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

princess gilrien from ephemeral // the maidens of middle-earth saga, a the rings of power fanfic. ( elrond ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

lenore gilbert from broken wings // the bloodlines saga, a the vampire diaries universe fanfic series. ( stefan salvatore ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

erika mikaelson from cursed, a the vampire diaries universe fanfic. ( elijah mikaelson ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

calliope gomez from my bloody valentine, a post-teen wolf au fanfic. ( stiles stilinski ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

maris navarro from siren song // the monsters & myths saga, a teen wolf fanfic series. ( scott mccall ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

keelie kepner from bad moon rising // the children of the moon series, a teen wolf fanfic series. ( stiles stilinski ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

sophie torres-kepp from somewhere only we know, an the umbrella academy fanfic. ( diego hargreeves ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

anita levine from no time to die, a mission impossible fanfic. ( ethan hunt ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

maude fletcher from genesis, an inception fanfic. ( eames ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

jean abbott from downward spiral, a true detective fanfic. ( rustin cohle ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

freya oleson from dark days, a 30 days of night fanfic. ( eben oleson ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

heather macher from everybody dies // the hereditary horrors series, a scream franchise fanfic series. ( sidney prescott ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

kiara goldstien from die for you // the hereditary horrors series, a scream franchise fanfic series. ( tara carpenter ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

reagan strode from the devil walks amoung us, a halloween franchise fanfic. ( oc pairing, corey cunningham ) ✶ character tag. ship tag.

[ageofpiracyrp]

PLOT DROP 33: BOUND

April 22, 2024.

Daphne Rux's 43rd birthday would not be one of her favorites. It had been nice to have so many birthdays on the ship in succession, but Daphne rarely wanted attention drawn to herself on the date, so she had been spending much of the day holed up in the captain's quarters doing research.

A tap on the door.

She ignores it, absorbed in what she was doing.

Two more taps.

"Yes, come in," she sighs, not looking up.

The door opens to reveal Muffy and Hero, both looking grim. Daphne gestures at them with concern, and offers them something to drink by gesturing to the grape-like soda cans currently sitting on her desk. Hero accepts one, but Muffy shakes her head.

"It isn't good news," Hero said, much quieter than usual.

"How... not good of news?" Daphne asked, curt in tone but still concerned. "Did someone get hurt? Did we leave HJ or Greg somewhere? Tell me. Please."

"Not anyone on our ship. Our crew is well. It's The Bat Ray." Muffy pressed her lips together, not sure how to continue.

"What do you mean it's The Bat Ray? Did Julia do something stupid and get all of those people hurt or- Muffy, what happened to Julia!?" Daphne wasn't completely unhinged, but her pitch was starting to raise.

Muffy waved her wing around carefully. "Everyone is alive. A couple of the crew may have gotten injured but- Those galx that we all thought were so foolish managed to capture their ship."

Hero cut in. "We spent all day together decoding the weird video message that we got. It was from Kenna."

Pursing her lips, Daphne said, "Show me. Please."

Hero placed a screen tablet in front of Daphne.

"We thought we could evade them, but it was like a game to them- trying to capture us. They looked so pleased with themselves. Officers Yrgus, Gekro, and Imontz. The Romoquele- Imontz- was the most dangerous. Not because of how he looked, but how he didn't seem to comprehend that he had just apprehended a bunch of people that had others who cared about them. I know I may not look like it, but there are a fair amount of people who are valuable to me. Most of them are on that ship, with me now, or on your ship. I'm the only one who managed to get away. We put it to a fast vote. We were so pressed for time. Who would make sure the kids would get away safe? I voted for Seetha. Everyone else voted for me. They said they all knew the captain would never give it up. Julia said it was only right to- make sure the kids had a parent with them who would love and protect them. Everyone agreed that I was the only choice. I couldn't argue with them. I had to be there for my kids. I'm making my way toward Kraysha. Very slowly. I need you to send a message to Julia's family. I don't know how to reach them. You're the only ones that I know how to contact that can notify them. I don't think you'll be able to respond to this message but... The Bat Ray's crew lives. I expect they''ll go on trial by the end of the year. They might call some of your crew as character witnesses. I don't know what's going to happen, but you may want to prepare."

The camera panned to Jenn and Jack sleeping- with Jack napping on his sister's shoulder.

"Tell Rebecca that I wouldn't dare let anything bad happen to them. We'll reach out once I'm on Kraysha."

Daphne pursed her lips. "We show Robin first. Then we show the whole crew. There's nothing we can do now except tell the Derringers carefully, but we can't keep this from the crew."

[robinastrea]

It's Astronomy

Date: April 15, 2017 Location: Theo’s Apartment, Rungung, Kraysha Characters: Theo Seong (@theoseong), Robin Astrea Description: They break up.

(Link to GoogleDoc Thread Here)

[skylarclarke]

Bleach Party

Date: September 2022 (this is not a typo) Location: High School Musical Room - Imperial Palace, Molfaun Characters: Robin Astrea ( @robinastrea ), Ryder Astrea ( @ryderastrea ), Skylar Clarke, Alioth “Ali” Iz’an ( @aliothizan ) Description: After Stella’s 140th birthday, Robin, Ali, and Sky all decide to bleach their hair.

( A link to the googledoc can be found here! )

[theoseong]

The Truth

Date: February 6, 2017 Location: The Sunrise Diner, Rungung, Kraysha Characters: Robin Astrea @robinastrea​ , Theo Seong Characters Mentioned: Ryder Astrea, Skylar Clarke-Iz’an, mentions of Bonnie Derringer Description: Robin confesses to Theo the reason he’s busy all the time.

(link to the discord thread can be found here)

[ageofpiracyrp]

PLOT DROP 26: HOTEL STURNIFORNIA

On the equivalent of December 16, Oplo politely asks (by way of handing Robin a fat stack of Disney Dollars) the crew of Prosperity to stay somewhere else for the next two weeks. Oplo doesn't know where; all of the local inns and bed and breakfasts are booked up because of why Oplo asked the crew to stay somewhere else: the Theme Park Club of Tarrk will be having a meeting, and needs the beds. They also need the area where the ship is parked for their own ships.

Of course... the Prosperity is welcome to visit for part of the events (like giving some of the visitors their wares from on board the ship). Qjun snottily states that it might not be their kind of thing. (Who knows if it even is?)

Junyi takes pity on the crew (possibly because she wants to have HJ staying somewhat nearby), and manages to help negotiate a low-cost rate at a beautiful waterfront hotel about an hour's bus ride away in the canal city of Dvun. The hotel is old, storied, and features a rooftop dock that the ship can be parked on.

Unfortunately, while the crew (with Junyi tagging along) checks in, they find a most unwelcome fellow hotel guest... Makhaira Espionage. Makhaira looks just as surprised to see them, and proceeds to ignore them for a while. Daphne faintly asks if they can check in somewhere else, but unfortunately... no refunds for loathing the other guests.

The Prosperity also discovers that Steel Spider is also staying in the same hotel after Beck saw Barbra entering a restroom. This is a somewhat more welcome surprise than Makhaira, as some of the crew have made friends (or at least a pleasant acquaintance); with Fleetwood.

For the next two weeks, Prosperity will use this hotel as a base of operations as it continues to complete delivery missions around Tarrk from the cargo hold. Threads with Makhaira, Barbra, Junyi, and/or Fleetwood will be available by request in the crab knife server.

[ageofpiracyrp]

PLOT DROP 25: PEAK ENTERTAINMENT

After an enjoyable excursion on Pryft, Prosperity docks on the planet Sturn outside of the town of Ustust. The landing pad is a half mile from an extremely large dormant volcano- almost 3/4 of a mile high! This volcano is Ustust. Almost as soon as Kjeuk steps foot on the planet, he starts talking much more than he has the entire journey. He explains that the "locals" say that the volcano hasn't erupted in thousands of years and it is perfectly safe- and that's where the group will be going. A lengthy afternoon is spent unloading a large portion of the cargo bay's contents into a rented amphibious vehicle- think a longer and taller DUKW with a one way viewing window enclosing the top. The pilot (Beck) and new navigator (Stella) are asked to take on driving/navigation duties. In the cozy bench seats back of the vehicle, Kjeuk chatters excitedly to whoever on the rest of the crew will listen about volcano facts the whole way to the clubhouse the Sturn branch of the Tarrk Theme Park Club.

Kjeuk's native planet is indeed Sturn, but Kjeuk only moved out to Ustust eight years ago when the area started to become more attractive. Sturn is a large planet- one and a half times the size of Earth with a proportionately greater population. Overall, Sturn is also a rather warm planet with a variety of climates. Ustust is surrounded by lush rainforests. While the volcano itself is not particularly green, the people that have lived on it over the course of many years have terraced the rich soil to provide them with what they need. Objectively, this is a beautiful area, and the drive through the rainforest border up the mountain is enjoyable if you like that sort of thing. The truck took a very winding path- avoiding the more convenient elevator/lift and slide systems that most of the "locals" (as Kjeuk calls them without malice but somewhat carelessly) use.

Three very excited and socially awkward carreki greet the crew upon arrival at the clubhouse... which is halfway up the mountain. The clubhouse and some other local businesses on this part of the volcano seem to be newer and more polished than on much of the rest of the mountain.

The three new carreki (Junyi, club president Oplo, and club secretary Qjun) gravitate immediately to the hybrids on the crew, and explain that they have never met any before. They become distracted from hybrids after Kjeuk reminds them how they managed to get so many great things from the club's wishlist! The carreki that it would be great to see some of those things. Also Junyi says offhandedly that the air conditioning is broken. She seems unbothered and unconcerned about how this will affect the guests' experience.

Anyway, the wishlist items that were explicitly for Junyi, Oplo, and Qjun are located and distributed. Qjun heard about "tips" when researching certain Earth customs, and tips the crewmembers twice as much as what he thinks the goods are worth because he is so happy to have real Legoland legos.

Oplo, while wearing the large souvenir sunglasses someone purchased at an obscure park, explains to the crew that there are beds for Prosperity to stay in Ustust for the distribution of goods. However, Oplo says, flipping the sunglasses upside down to see if they are more comfortable to wear that way, not everyone wanted to come all the way to the clubhouse to get their goods. Qjun insists that he will make everyone promise to tip well, but Prosperity is going to have to make deliveries directly to the club members on Sturn... and also the rest of the planetary system.

Daphne sighs, and says that this will at least give her, Robin, and Muffy time to interview the two local Communications position candidates before leaving Tarrk.

Kjeuk persuades Junyi to order takeout from the new Sour Jehk-style restaurant that opened up a year ago in the local "cool" part of Ustust, and shows Prosperity the dormitories. The lofted, full-size bunk beds feature bedding that is completely white because that is what research says theme park hotels like to use. There is a large, non-chlorinated pool intended for leisurely soaks (unfortunately for some of the crew, the water is quite warm) and an elegant communal restroom connected to the dorms. There are also some random rooms in the clubhouse that do not have a specific purpose which can be used for meetings or hanging out. The clubhouse is set up for many members to be able to visit comfortably if needed. It would all be quite lovely if the air conditioning wasn't broken. The crew of Prosperity is encouraged to use the facilities, and is welcome to take as long as they need to deliver the goods. Kjeuk does not seem sorry about the delay, but states that this mission means a lot to his club.

For at least the next month, the crew will take missions around Sturn in large or small groups to deliver goods to some potentially obscure places. The group will be fed, and is free to come and go as they please. Oplo pops out of nowhere at some point to explain that the members won't be upset if things take a while or if Prosperity needs to take a detour for a few months for any reason because many of them don't even remember ordering or asking for anything and will only be excited to have new toys delivered.

It will certainly be an interesting excursion in the Tarrk system.