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Progress/Personal Update: 6/8/2023

Hello everyone! Just a little personal update. I have been dealing with some family health issues, and on top of that, I have gotten my wisdom teeth out, so I am taking a small break so I can get all healed up. However, don't worry, I am still writing, just more on the weekends than weekdays. I am hoping to get the demo out sometime next month, which will be chapters one through three, so wish me luck! It is taking a little longer due to the large amount of coding that happens in Chapter 3, but I am still so excited! Thank you for listening. Have a nice day and drink some water.

6/13/2023

CHAPTER TWO UPDATE!

I am officially done with chapter two! Between family issues and my wisdom teeth getting yanked out of me, I thought I would never be able to get chapter two finished, but it is! Half of why it is so late is on me, due to the fact that I wanted it to be just enough lore explaining of this world that I created, which is hard when all I want to do is scream it from the roof tops like Rafiki introducing Simba for the first time, but I think I got the perfect mixture down to let you guys know enough while still having a hint of mystery.

Chapter Two:

roughly 24,332 words

Introduce another RO in the weirdest way possible.

Join the "book club" on an important discovery about you.

Meet a bunch of more characters that live in Lockwood.

Be able to stand up for your aunt.

Watch your familiar battle it out with a giant snake.

A deeper look into your family

Meet the princes and princesses of hell.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARCEL!~Short Story

MARCELLUS'S BACKSTORY SPOILERS BELOW!!!

The sun glistened on the Sarno River, where ships floated aimlessly while others were anchored at port. People were all about enjoying the sunny morning, not even minding sailors ordering their men to get the nets drawn so they could get to work selling their fresh scores of fish down at the market.

 Further north, crisp hills rolled from a large mountain to the crowded city to the west. The streets were bustling as people shopped, visited relatives, and even children drew on the walls of a big arch with speckles of paint that their guardians let them buy when the merchants came into town only a few days ago.

Although people were walking down one street in the center of the city, heads turned as shouts bounced off the stone walls covered in floral motifs.

"Thief!" 

"Stop him, you fools!"

A man, or more accurately, a teen dressed in a cloak, ran down the busy street, bumping into people as he ran from city guards.

"Sorry!" The teen said this as he jumped through a fountain, splashing water on an older woman who was resting.

“Es stercus!” A man yelled, helping the woman up.

"I said sorry!" The teen yelled over his shoulder; his feet burned from the hot cobblestone marked by the sun.

Need to lose the old dogs.

Looking to his right, he smiled like a lemer and ran towards the narrow alleyway, knowing full well that the guards would not be able to follow him with the bulk of armor they torture themselves with.

  Marcel held his breath as the guards ran past the alleyway, not noticing the hunched figure of the sixteen-year-old boy.

  Letting out a chuckle, he held the bag full of his precious cargo closer to his body, making sure none of it was smashed.

  Looking up at the sun, he knew he should be getting back and quickly climbed the wall of the building next to him with the help of a few boxes and overgrown vines.

  Balancing on the roof, he leapt from house to house, gracefully and practically dancing in the warm sun.

  It only took a few minutes, and knowing the city like the back of his hand made it easier to navigate even while he was on rooftops.

  Finally arriving at his destination, he easily jumped on a balcony and swung to a tree branch hanging by until his feet hit the ground.

  "At last....home." Marcel said, looking at the old torn-down villa built with tan bricks and red pine wooden decorations that hung in the front to ward off evil spirits.

  The closer he got, the more he could hear the sounds of laughter and crying from children. Through short, wide windows, if he narrowed his eyes and focused, he could see heads of hair run past.

 Marcel let out a smirk and opened the front door.

 "Mars!" A small girl squealed and threw herself into his arms, which spined her around.

"Oh, Cassia! It's been forever since I saw you!"

  "You saw me this morning, Mars!" Cassia giggled and hung onto the taller boy.

Marcel grinned. "Did I? Well, you've grown since then!"

  Cassia blushed and stood on her tiptoes. "You really think so?"

  "Well, of course."

  "Is that Marcellus?! Oh, I have a word to pick with you."

  From down the hallway a young woman appeared with black hair all the way down to the floor in a braid and the most stunning blue eyes that seemed to distract people from her dark bags that were under them.

  "Decima! It's good to see you."

"I don't want to hear it, Marcellus." Decima spoke with narrowed eyes, then turned to Cassia.

  "Little Shurb, how about you go play outside with the twins?"

  Cassia wrinkled her small button nose. "But they always want to play Terni lapilli."

  Decima frowned. "What's wrong with Terni lapilli?"

  Cassia crossed her arms. "Nothing; they just always lose the marbles, and it takes us till sundown to find them." She pouted. 

  Marcel got down on his knees and booped her nose. "How about this? You play with your brothers, and I'll get you new marbles tomorrow."

  Cassia's eyes widened. "Shiny ones?" 

Marcel nodded, the small girl's smile being infectious. "They will be as shiny as Sol's chariot."

  Cassia nodded her little head. "Deal!" The small girl ran out of the arched, cracked doorway.

Decima sighed as she rubbed at a stain on her lavender stola.

"Marcellus, what have you done this time?"

Marcel lips pressed together, knowing full well a lecture was coming.

"Please, on Astraeus's stars, do not start pestering me, Decima. 

   "Oh, shall I not, Marcellus? If the sweat on your forehead and the dirt on your feet are any indication, you have been participating in Mercury's sinful tricks." 

   "Don't pretend that his sinful tricks do not keep us from drowning." 

Decima glared. "They may keep our heads above the tide, but for how much longer? Once the guards catch you, that's it!" She slammed her hand down on the table, and Marcel was surprised her copper wedding band on her finger didn't crack. 

  Marcel's brows furrowed. "Don't you see I am doing what I must? With Octavian gone—" Decima's eyes closed as if in pain at the mention of the name. "—we are all at risk even with our union. If we don't manage to keep up with our debt, then our ruse would have been for nothing, not to mention what Rufus would do." 

  Decima looked away, and Marcel took the older girl by the shoulders, making her look him in the eye. "You are my truest friend... I am doing what is right for all of us. For the children. For you as well." 

  Marcel and Decima stared into each other's eyes for what felt like minutes. They knew everything about the other—what stalked their dreams, what pushed them to keep going—but they never judged, for they completely trusted the other.

  Decima nodded at her friend. "May Juno be with you." 

  Marcel smiled, a little bitterly. "No gods are with me."

  Before Decima could utter a sound, Marcel walked down the hall. "Cerdis is in the children's room, I'm guessing."

  Decima called back, wiping her hands on the front of her stola. "Yes, you know he has been waiting for you." 

Happiness surged through him, suppressing the fear that was slowly creeping into his mind.

Marcel smiled and opened the door to the largest room in the very small, cracked domus where they lay their heads each night.

Candles lit the room where no windows let their light in. Two dark wooden cribs were in the corner, while there was a small bed on the other side of the room, which kept two growing children resting their heads, although there was barely any room for one child, much less two.

  Although right then there was only one child, whose hair was raven and nappy, even under the covers, anyone could see the boy was small—too small. Most considered the boy to be cursed by Asclepius and wanted him put out of his misery, although Marcel knew better.

Marcel sat on the bed, making sure not to startle the sleeping figure.

  Gently, Marcel uncovered the face of the small boy to reveal sunken eyes and paste-like skin that seemed to be coated with sweat; however, there was a small smile that played on the sleeping boy's lips.

  The older boy spoke softly. "Cerdis, it is time to wake; Sol's chariot has already passed."

  Eyes slowly opened, blinking before the little boy grinned from ear to ear; his brightness could put a smile on anyone's face.

  "Mars!" A raspy voice came from Cerdis as he sat up, wrapping his small arms around the older boy.

  Marcel softly kissed the boy on the top of the head. "Ah! Finally, you wake from your slumber." He held the raven-haired boy close. "Are you feeling blessed this morning by the gods?"

Cerdis nodded his head, looking confident. "Yes, because it is my day of birth!"

 Marcel smiled. "Yes, it's not everyday that someone survives five winters."

  Cerdis frowned. "I am still not as tall as Cassia."

  The older boy laughed. "No, but maybe with the help of Juno, you will catch up." He said it, hoping that the bitterness would be kept out of his tone.

Cerdis gave him a toothy grin. "You really think so? I won't only be older than her, but taller as well!"

Ah yes, Cassia does hold her height over Cerdis very often, although it is probably due to the fact that Cerdis was the only one who questioned her when picking games. Hmm. I wonder what Cassia will do when Cerdis comes into manhood. I'm sure Cassia will find something else to hang over the poor boy's head.

Marcel patted Cerdis's head. "Well...I have you a present."

  Cerdis shook with excitement and, with almost lightning speed, reached for Marcel's satchel but with speed was snatched back. "Now, now, Cerdis, I have a few other things in here."

  Cerdis crinkled his nose, although the comment didn't make his smile waver. "I cannot wait any longer! Please Mars! What have you brought me?"

  Without a second thought, Marcel opened the bag, minding the trinkets that were valuable, however small enough that their owners would not even notice they were gone until it was too late.

  Cerdis's eyes widened as Marcel pulled something oval-shaped and quite small into his palm and wrapped it in cloth.

The raven-haired boy smelled the sweet aroma, and his mouth watered. "Is that-?" 

  Marcel uncovered the item to reveal the room-temperature sweet bun, smashed a little on one side, which made the honey sweetness drip over until the cloth was covered with the sticky substance.

"It was no trouble." Marcel once again kissed Cerdis head.

  "A maritozzi!" Cerbis, not minding the stick, grabbed the sweet treat with full hands and took a bite. Marcel tried not to cringe at the mess on the boy's face.

  But it was quite easy, with the happiness shining through. "Mmm." 

 "I see you are quite enjoying my present."

Cerdis showed his dimples through his smile, licking his fingers. "Thank you, Mars!"

Marcel smiled in a moment of weakness, asking the gods to bless his little brother with many more winters.

Hi, your IF seems very interesting...but I was wondering how the ROs would react it the MC would out of the blue just grab their hand 🫣🫣🫣

Thank you so much for the kind words! It is really exciting to be sharing this world I created with you! 

And as for you ask....well....

💛 Marcel:

Relationship Stage: Crush

When he feels your hand in his, the whole world seems to stop. How could he focus when you were all he wanted to look at? Keeping his blush under control, he squeezes your hand to comfort you. That's what this was, right? Maybe you are scared; it's not like anyone could blame you, especially with what's going on.

Don't worry.... I'm not letting you go through this alone. Not ever.

Relationship Stage: Couple

When your hand slips into his, Marcel gives you a bright smile, his perfect straight teeth blinding you.

Marcel's body feels hot as if Venus struck him, but he doesn't question or fear the feeling; he lets himself drown in it. In slow motion,giving you time to back away, he leans forward and kisses your cheek.

🧡 Margaret:

Relationship Stage: Crush

Margaret doesn't even notice at first; her eyes are too occupied looking from display window to display window, but when she does notice, her body jitters like she drank ten cups of coffee.

You point to a store, talking, but she doesn't hear you; her focus is on your hand entwined with hers. But she doesn't dare say anything; she doesn't want to ruin the moment. Everything is better. Her vision is clearer. The sky is more blue. Are birds chirping? She basically radiates sunshine. 

I never want this to end. 

Relationship Stage: Couple

Honestly? She would be the one to put her hand in yours; she loves physical affection. So your days will be filled with walking arm in arm (even if it is just in the other room), small kisses, and cuddles. But if you are someone who is not overly affectionate and you place your hand in hers, get ready for a happy dance even if you're out in public.

♥️ Owen:

Relationship Stage: Crush

You gently slide your hand into his as he chows down on his food.

With his fighter instincts, he quickly notices your hand, although... *deep sigh* Owen is the most oblivious when it comes to his feelings or anything really that doesn't deal with fighting.

So he scrunches his eyebrows and squeezes your hand. 

"What is it?" 

You frown. "What?" 

"You're trying to get my attention, right? Where is the threat?" He licks his lips, looking from person to person almost as if imagining their faces under his fist. 

You let out a small sigh. "Oh, never mind." 

Relationship Stage: Couple

You gently slide your hand into his and like a loyal dog his body perks up. With almost fearful eyes, he looks you over to make sure you're alright, checking boxes in his head. No broken bones. You don't have a headache. Your not tense. 

Pulling you closer to him, he looks around the room once. "Everything all right?" He whispers and squeezes your hand, never taking his eyes off you.

When you tell him you just wanted to hold his hand, he nods his head, although with an arrogant smile on his lips, he pulls you closer and gets back to what he was doing.

💙 Rosie:

Relationship Stage: Crush

With a small smile, Rosie puts down the car's sun visor, checking her flawless makeup.

When she feels your hand in hers, she pauses. She knows lust like the back of her hand. The pleasant aching between her legs wasn't the only thing she was feeling, but the pleasant flutter in her pulse was something she hadn't felt since...him. 

Swallowing a lump in her throat, she turns to look at you with a sly smile.

"Oh, Sweetheart, you are making me blush."

You look at her confused, and she smiles like a cheshire cat.

"Our hands, love? Are you trying to tell me something?" She says, explaining her comment.

"W-what?" 

"Why don't you pull over?" She licks her lips.

Relationship Stage: Couple

Her pulse quickens even now after being together romantically for so long. She smiles to herself before letting go of your hand and pulling you close to her.

She kisses you with as much tenderness as she can muster, not letting you go until you come up for air with swollen lips.

With a content sigh, she rests her forehead on yours and stays there as long as you let her, not wanting to let you go

🩵 Tai:

Relationship Stage: Crush

Usually, Tai could feel when people were near; it came with the territory of being him. Either because people found his behavior odd or because most were perplexed at seeing such a cranky smart individual, their stares always put him on edge. But with you? No. He didn't feel the need to put his mask on all the time. You are like soothing wind, blowing away the stress.

So he doesn't feel you sitting next to him on the couch while he rests his eyes. Nor does he see you give him that memorizing annoying smile. But.. he feels that when you put your hand In his, his eyes bulge open like he is jolted by electricity.

"What the HELL are you doing?" He sits up, snapping his hand away. The force of his anger pushes you back. 

All you do is blink and let out a stuttering excuse. "I thought-" 

Tai could only pray that you took his red face as anger. "You thought?! Well, let me give you something to THINK about! Did you know that over three thousand germs live on your hands alone?!" 

"I mean-" 

"I have no idea where you have been! Knowing you, you covered every disease imaginable from your glucose-covered clients." 

"Hey!" You say in outrage. 

Tai walks away. "So think before you infect others with those things you call hands." 

Tai's heart beats faster and faster, only calming down when he locks himself in his office. 

What is happening to me?

Relationship Stage: Couple

Your presence instantly soothes him. Tai feels himself relax and lets out a small sigh, even more so when you absently put your hand in his.

For only a short second, he feels himself stiffen, which makes you realize what you have done.

Biting your lip, you let out a small apology before you start to slip out of his grasp.

Tai frowns and grabs your hand, ignoring your confused looks before bringing your hand to his mouth and kissing the tips of your fingers to the palm, until finally he looks at you. 

"Don't apologize." 

💚 Zane:

Relationship Stage: Crush

Hate. Zane sees you as, for lack of better terms, his nemesis. The child of the mirror throne is the thing his master wants the most. Sure, he can feel attraction for you, but he doesn't actually see it as a crush until he is so deeply in love that all he can do is try not to drown. So if you were to put his hand in his neutral ground...

Zane snaps his hand away. "What....?" He looks at you confused, like you're some sort of puzzle, before scoffing and turning away. "Don't push it, Little Lion."

Relationship Stage: Couple

Much like Margaret, he wouldn't be able to keep his hands off you; however, his is a little less wholesome and a little more PG-13 (as far as your willingness to go to be naughty in public, or if not, he will just have to imagine in his head). So if you just innocently put your hand in his, he is throwing you over his shoulder and taking you to the bedroom.

"Don't look so shocked, Little Lion." 

Tai looks so cool! I can't wait for you to post when the demo is coming out 😍 Here is a fun little Question

What Disney character is most like the ROs?

I can't wait either! I am still on Chapter 3 but when that is done it will be posted on Twine. I will make an announcement. But as for your ask...

Here you go!

💛 Marcel

I have to go with Nani from "Leo & Stitch." Like Nani, Marcel is a caretaker, which is a really big part of his character, but he also makes sacrifices for the ones he loves, even if it costs him, just like Nani.

🧡 Margaret

Olaf. Do I need to say more? While Margaret isn't made of snow, she is obsessed with warm hugs that will soften anyone's heart. She is also very naive when it comes to certain things, which I see a lot of in Olaf's character.

❤️ Owen

This one was hard. I kept going back and forth in my head, but I decided that Beast from "Beauty and the Beast" is just that he is very intimidating up close and can get angry when things don't go his way, but under all that bravado is just a lonely soul wanting to be loved.

💙 Rosie

This one was also quite easy. Meg from "Hercules" because both Meg and Rosie are very beautiful, seductive, smart, but also broken young women who just need someone to love them.

🩵 Tai

I have to go with Doc Hudson from "Cars" on this one. Tai and Doc are both super grouchy mature, and both have hidden soft hearts that just want the best for everyone. (I know "Cars" is technically Pixiar, but Disney owns Pixiar, so I am still counting it.)

💚 Zane

For Zane, I have to go with Prince Naveen from "Princess and the Frog." Zane is a flirt and usually thinks about himself, much like the prince. Once he starts to fall in love with you, you will be all he can think about.

💛 Marcel: Mischievous as hell. He was known to help other kids if they needed something like food or some type of medicine, and a lot of the little kids were drawn to him and tried to follow some of his stunts, like stealing and pranking around the village, which left many of the adults to name him as a troublemaker. As he grew, he kind of grew out of the mischievousness; however, he still used his skills if it was necessary, but he was known to have a golden heart who helped everyone. 

🧡 Margaret: Proper, but bashful. She would mimic her sister, who was considered the ideal child by many. Her father stifled her early curiosity, which led her to follow in her sister's footsteps when she was younger and much more inquisitive about the world. She attended all of her lessons, ate her veggies, curtsied to everybody (even to people who were considered less than), and had manners. 

♥️ Owen: Wild. He didn't have the best childhood, but he always got into fights or found some sort of trouble. He was very bold and stood up to bullies when he saw them, which honestly just got him bullied more, which left a lot of the other kids wanting nothing to do with him. He didn't mind; he had his imagination, which never let him down. 

💙 Rosemary: She was a total rebel and very strong-willed. She had older brothers and a strict father; she was known to do the opposite of whatever her father said if she thought that it was holding her back. Loud even when she was called "unlady" and persuaded some of her brothers to cover for her if she snuck out or skipped out on work. 

🩵 Tai: He was a very bubbly child when he was very young; however, as he got older, he became more stoic due to events in his life. He was very observant of the people he would spend a lot of time with, but no one really knew anything about him. He was a mystery, even to the people who considered him a friend. As he grew, he dived into work that was in front of him, even though he hated it to the point that it was unhealthy. However, he was seen as a star worker to his superiors.

💚 Zane: Sad and angry, not much has changed. He was alone most of the time; his caretaker was not the most welcoming, so he was very much left alone with himself. He would do puzzles against a mirror and pretend that someone was there till he finally realized that he would rather die than be let down again, so he very much grew closer to [redacted] with the help of his caretaker, which let some sort of twisted bond grow between them.

I LOVED the update! If you are taking asks, I have one. How would the ROs deal with a pouty MC giving them silent treatment from a fight?

Thank you so much! I am glad you enjoyed My Inner Sins! I am imagining this as a not really serious fight, like maybe the RO ate the last slice of pizza, but anyway, here is their reaction.....

ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP STAGE:

💛 Marcel

Would low-key find MC's pout adorable and be amused by the MC's behavior, but would try to fix it the best way they can by buying something the MC enjoys—food, games, et cetera—to turn that pout back into a smile. 

🧡 Margaret

Using her puppy eyes a little to get you to tell her what she did, then, like Marcel, she would try to make up for her actions, but I don't think it would be from a place of amusement like Marcel but from a place of guilt. This relationship is important to her and her first one so she would be very nervous about this "fight."

❤️ Owen

He would raise an eyebrow at the pout and ask the MC what was wrong. Owen doesn't play games, especially when it comes to arguments, no matter how small, so he would ask outright what he could do to make the MC feel better or forgive him, but that doesn't mean he doesn't think that MC's little pout is adorable. Once the argument was all done and over, I could see him teasing the MC about it. 

💙 Rosemary

Rosemary would say sorry, and if the MC was still pouting, she would roll her eyes and be unbothered, even if it was kind of cute that the MC pouted around her in a dramatic fashion. Rosemary knows the MC will come back around to her eventually, especially if they are in a deep relationship. She fully trusts the MC, and when the MC does come back, she will make sure to smother them with kisses. 

🩵 Tai

Tai would be frustrated by it, as he does not like to be ignored, especially if he sees the argument as not that big of a deal. However, the moment he sees that pout, all his resolve breaks, and he would apologize to the MC in a gentle manner—well, gentle for Tai at least. 

💚 Zane

Mmmm, I want to say he would feel guilty even more so when he saw the pout, but knowing Zane, he wouldn't see it as guilt and more as anger because what did he have to be sorry for? than he would think that anger was pointed at MC and not himself. 😮‍💨MC and Zane would have a pout standoff, and in the end, it would have to be the MC who has to approach Zane. 

Owen number 1 fan here 😋😘😋 if you are doing asks than I was wondering who would the ROs fuck, marry, kill out of EACH OTHER. The MC CANT COUNT!!!

💛Marcel:

Kiss- Owen

Marry- Margaret

Kill- Zane

🧡Margaret:

Kiss- Rosemary

Marry- Owen

Kill- Zane

❤️Owen:

Kiss- Margaret

Marry- Marcel

Kill- Zane

💙Rosemary:

Kiss- Marcel

Marry- Margaret

Kill- Tai Zane

🩵Tai:

Kiss- Owen

Marry- Marcel

Kill- Zane

💚Zane:

Kiss- Rosemary

Marry- Margaret

Kill- You Marcel