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Journal housing all my assignments for OctoPrep 2025 |
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| Assignment #4 "Oct. 4 -"CONTEST ROUND: Protagonist Background Story:" "Character: CONTEST ROUND: Protagonist Background Story" Write a story about your protagonist that takes place outside of your novel. Make your readers relate to him or her in such a way that we would be devastated if they were to experience conflict (which, ultimately, sometime in November, they will.) The object of the contest is to make your judges root for your protagonist! Simply put: the character we like best wins. If your protagonist is a drug dealer or someone similarly ""unlikeable"" (a.k.a, an ""anti-hero""), never fear! I love Vlad Taltos, the professional assassin. You can make us love your character, too. *Contest Round entries may be any rating. Submit your ITEM or ENTRY number by 1200 noon WDC time on Sunday to compete. WDC time is New York City time and can be found at the top of the IM Console. If you miss this deadline or choose not to compete, you must still log the assignment complete (without linking your work) for the grand prize, per the standard Prep guidelines. The sun was bright on this late Spring day, the twenty-third of Amea. It felt like what a day should be for a Prince marrying his Princess, the future King of Caelkirk. The birds were chirping, the floral smells flowing through the air. There was light chatter from Princess Eipura's family who sat on the other side of the aisle. They were a family that Adelaide had known her whole life. One of Princess Eipura's sister's had been a friend of hers when she was little. It had been a long time since she had time for private time. Once upon a time that realization would've caused a pang of loneliness in her chest. This wedding would've caused a pang of loneliness, she realized weirdly. Over time, it was like a film formed over all of it. It was there, but it didn't hurt. It just what it was. She couldn't even be mad at anybody. Her mother, Greta, had talked with her at length about it. In depth in a way she wasn't ever supposed to. She had been mad that she'd been ordered to hide it from her, because there wasn't much to tell, other than it had been a Prophecy that predicted a Chosen under a certain sky, with a certain other credentials that made her the Chosen. They wanted her to have the best chance, whatever route her path would take. Her mother tried to do the best with having the ability to do so. She had wanted all of the stuff that should've come to her and had been so angry that it had been taken from her. Adelaide shook her head. No. None of this. None of this resentment. Not here. Not today. Today was beautiful. It was perfect for her brother and his soon-to-be Queen. She was sitting with her siblings, holding her baby brother, Emrys. He was six months old and what chunky cheeks he had! Deciding to focus on her baby brother, she stared into his baby blue eyes. He was cooing and holding onto her finger with a grip that impressed her. Emrys was a late surprise. The youngest before Emrys had been her sister, Linnea, who was getting ready to turn 11 next month. She remembered when her mother barged into her rooms. She'd missed her menses and she had gone to the royal doctor, the one who had been involved in all of her pregnancies. "Addie, I am 44! I can't be pregnant!" She'd cried. The tears had been of joy surrounded by fear. Age brought issues and the issues were what she had been afraid of. "Mom, everything will be fine! Have you told dad?" Though she knew the answer. She was close with her mother. She doubt that any of her handmaidens even knew yet. Speculated maybe, but had they heard the confirmation? Doubt it. Her mother had run straight here following her appointment. Before her mother even responded, "You know Doctor Ferdinand will have you in his office as often as he sees fit." Her mother sat down on stuffed chair. "I haven't told your father yet. I'm half afraid I'd give him a heart attack. He's going to be 50 in a few weeks." She laid a hand on her belly. "The Doctor thinks I'm about eight weeks. Can you believe it?" She could believe it. She had been in Doctor Ferdinand's office once a month for the first two trimesters and then once she hit the third, was in every other week. There was the worry of something being wrong with his kidneys in the very beginning, but by the time she'd hit twenty-five weeks, everything looked good and had been smooth sailing. Her father hadn't had a heart attack and had been weirdly ecstatic. It had evened out their brood at 4 a piece. Looking at Emrys now, as he wiggled in his small tuxedo, kicking his little feet wrapped in soft shoes that looked very much like little men's dress shoes, there was a love so tight and thick that it almost stole her breath. It was eight months ago when Adelaide realized she would do whatever she needed to make sure the world was perfect for him to grow up in. Who cares about a wedding when the world could burn and Emrys could miss out on growing up or not being safe in that new world. She felt hands at her right shoulder, when she turned she saw it was her sister, Sarea, who had just turned 19. She had a wedding coming too in a couple of months, to Prince Frenrick of the Willopi Kingdom, south of their kingdom. "Addie! It's Michaela!" Her sister pointed off to her left. Adelaide looked and smiled softly as she saw her eldest younger sister, Michaela. She was twenty-two and by the looks of things, very pregnant. She'd been married last summer to Prince Phillipe of the Drefflop Kingdom, he was the eldest and was set to be King. It was weird to think of her sister as a Queen, but Michaela had always thought she was better than everyone else. Her mother had told her that it might be sooner rather than later, since his father, King Alexei IV, had cancer and it seemed to spread much more quickly than they had expected. There was talk of him abdicating the throne so he would be able to watch his son be crowned. Michaela was holding hands with her husband as they walked in. Her gown was a gorgeous spring green with hand embroidered flowers along the bodice. Whomever had fitted her with the dress was a magician as the bodice ended beneath her breasts, allowing the gown to flow over her belly which accentuated her belly and made it entirely feminine. She was wearing flats of the same beautiful spring green. She was glowing and Adelaide was immediately happy for her. She wondered if her sister knew what she was having yet or leaving it for a surprise. "She's beautiful, isn't she Sarea." Adelaide said. "Pregnancy definitely agrees with her. She's glowing. Did mom know?" "I don't know, she didn't say anything to me about it." It wouldn't have surprise me that Michaela waited until this moment to announce her pregnancy to her family. Their brother, Shaen, noticed her then and whistled. He was fifteen and every ounce a teenage boy, but he had such an affection for Michaela. He slid past them to hurry over to see his sister. Pictures flashed as they hugged. "I'm going to go see mother, I'll be back." Adelaide stood, feeling slightly uncomfortable still, in her heels. Her red gown, all red tulle, the bodice with handmade roses that had been sewn onto the bodice and around the neckline, also made her feel uncomfortable, but she could deal with it, it was walking in the heels that made her really question why she agreed to watch Emrys. Practice as practice does, she made it inside the church where her mother and father were. They were with Eipura's parents, both fussing over their children before the ceremony was to start, less than an hour now. She made her way over to her mother. "Mother, have you seen Michaela?" Her mother smiled softly, the way she often did when any of her children were brought up by name. "No, is she here?" "Just arrived with Phillipe. Did you uh...know she was expecting?" Her eyes went round. "No! She has failed to mention that in our phone calls." "Well, act surprised I guess. She looks like she's about to drop at any moment. I kinda wondered if maybe she was wanting to make a special entrance." "Oh Adelaide Francine Deilea. This is a beautiful day full of beautiful things. Don't try to taint it." Adelaide sighed. "No, I wouldn't dare to." It was always hard for their mother to notice a flaw in any of her children. They were all perfect and wonderful. They were royalty, they were inherently perfect so sayeth the Gods. "I'll take Emrys and go see your sister." Her mother held out her arms and I handed over the baby. He cooed and nuzzled against his mother's neck. Before she even turned to leave, he was already falling asleep. She watched her mother leave and suddenly didn't know what to do with herself. |
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