Yeah, I finally got one up for Ahiru. XD;

Questions? Concerns? Comments? Crit? Need to get a hold of me for a plot? Leave a comment here. I know not everyone agrees with my portrayal of Ahiru, so I want to give you all a chance to come and complain if you'd like.

Anonymous comments are allowed. Comments won't be screened, since I want to allow people to see if something they were wondering about has already been previously addressed--if I get a lot of complaints about this, though, then I'll consider switching it to screened.

I'll put an FAQ in this post if it seems like certain questions or issues come up a lot, or if there's something that's particularly confusing to others.

Thanks all. ♥

[Ahiru is sitting out on the steps of the Opera, resting her chin in her hands and frowning.]

Today is a curse day, isn't it? It's sort of a weird one. I don't know if I get it. [She tilts her head and watches a random NPC run by with pokeballs in his hands.] I guess it's a good thing I'm not affected? It does look sort of fun, though. Like having a bunch of pets! Although the battling thing is weird.

((OOC: A bit of a place holder, sorry guys. XD;;; I've been more busy today than I expected. Again. I'll be going out to eat dinner, soon, but I'll be back to respond later. Ahiru's actually affected as a pokemon today--she's getting captured by Yori. ^^))

[sounding obviously frightened, but also determined] I'm not--I'M NOT YOUR CHARACTER ANYMORE! Fakir finished that story! It's OVER!

And so you'll go back to being just a bird, Little Duck? You'll give up everything for them and have nothing for yourself in return?

He promised he'd stay with me! That's enough...he'll never break that promise, I know he won't. I don't care if I'm just a duck as long as he's with me.

But he's already forgotten about you. How tragic! How supremely tragic!

No, he didn't--it's not like that! I...

FAKIR! FAKIR, HE'S BACK!

((OOC: Ahiru's been seeing Drosselmeyer all day and only just now remembered she could use her computer to get help. =D;;; Sorry this is so late, guys! Busy day hanging out with my Dad. Backdating is fine. Every thing in italics and strikes is Drossy, so obviously only Ahiru can hear it.))

I can't believe Fakir! Making me wear this stupid dress and...and...

He must have found the book! Was he trying to teach me a lesson, or something? Or did he...did he really want...

This is so stupid! I don't even mind him cuddling me or whatever, but he doesn't even like me that way, it's just a curse. It's always just a curse.

...Hey, for those in the Opera House, I'll be coming back home at midnight. I don't think it's a good idea for me to be there until after the curse is over.

((OOC: After this. Ahiru's still wearing the maid's dress and is sulking in Xanadu. But please only post on the journal--Ahiru's meeting with someone in Xanadu for plot reasons. <3 Thanks!
BTW, she's actually somewhat affected, she just doesn't know it/hasn't had it set off.))

Fakir....FAKIR, where are you?! We need to practice! The ballet's TOMORROW and I'm not going to be ready!!

Ohnoohnoohnoohnoohno, I have to practice, and I need to make sure all of my costumes are ready, and...there's just so MUCH. We'll never get ready in time! I'm going to ruin it! The first performance we've had in AGES and I'm going to ruin it! Rue's never going to forgive me for this! What do I do?!

FAKIR, WHERE ARE YOU?!

[Ahiru is standing out in Misery Square, dressed up in her ballet costume for Sleeping Beauty. She's dancing out on the pavement in her toe shoes, sometimes up en pointe and sometimes not. Whenever anyone comes nearby, or she thinks she's caught their attention, she dances up to them and thrusts a flyer out towards them.]

Please come to our performance of Sleeping Beauty! We're going to have two of them this weekend at Opera Abandoned--one at 7pm on Saturday and Sunday. We'd really like it if you come! Thanks!

((OOC: Yup, it's official, Sleeping Beauty is finally happening! Click on the above link to see the lovely flyer made by Manda (with some help from some great art from a Japanese doujinshi)!
Feel free to respond to this post either through the Network, or interact with Ahiru in the square--just let me know which one it is! Also, I'll be a liiittle slow with replies for a little bit, I'm still trying to get through all of my e-mail in my inbox...XD;;))

[Ahiru stands shivering under an umbrella and walks carefully around the pond in Xanadu where the ducks live. She's been fretting over them ever since the rain became too stormy for her to go out. It might be silly to worry over them--they're ducks, after all, they're used to dealing with dramatic changes in the weather--but Ahiru still feels guilty that she gets a shelter against bad weather when the other ducks don't.

Finding the ducks huddled together under a dock, she sighs in relief and flips on her computer.]

Guess what? The ducks are okay! I don't know how they got it through the storm, but they must have found somewhere to hide...I'm so glad. I was so worried about them!

Fakir, sorry for running out like that without telling you, but I just needed to make sure they're okay. I'll come back soon, so don't worry! And then what if...would you like to go out and...do something? I know we weren't able to do anything yesterday for, um, you know what, so...

((OOC: Feel free to respond to the post either over the Network or in person. <3))

Today was a great day! Rue and Fakir took me out for a picnic in Xanadu for my birthday. Fakir even took me for a ride on Rue's swan carriage while she was setting up the picnic...it was wonderful! Even better than I thought it would be. I felt like a real princess. I wonder if her swans could teach me how to fly better? They look so graceful when they fly. It must be nice being a swan...

We got to check on the ducks while we were there, too. They're doing well! I think they're glad it's Spring. They didn't seem happy at all during the winter...I felt pretty bad for them. But now the sun's back and the flowers are blooming. I wonder if they'll have ducklings?

Oh, um...hey, Fakir? Do you...want to come to my room? I want to show you the present Rue gave me. I wonder if this will actually work...

((OOC: this is the present Rue got her. ...Yeeeeah. XD Strike isn't there. Manda and Lore, lemme know if any of the details of the picnic are wrong? And yeah, I know this went up late. I got distracted again. DAMN YOU VESPERIA AND TV TROPES! *shakes fist*))

What? No! Not TODAY! You're not supposed to come here today!! Shoo, shoo! You can come back tomorrow, but you can't be here today! This needs to be a quiet day for just the two of us!

Augh, FAKIR!

((OOC: I juuust remembered that I made Ahiru's birthday the 1st of April. LUCKY HER =D That also makes her 17 City-wise, wow...))

Okay Ahiru, you can do this. You can do this! Yeah, everything's going to be okay. I'll be fine!

...

...

...

...

AUGH! I DON'T REMEMBER ANYTHING RIGHT! I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO SPELL HALF OF THIS! HOW AM I GOING TO PASS?!

((OOC: Ahiru sucks in school, it's canon. XD She's going to Westerberg High, a sophomore, and is totally getting her ass kicked by finals. Probably doesn't help that she keeps daydreaming during class...))

Um....so...Yesterday was pretty weird, huh? Yeah! Pretty weird. Sorry if I confused anyone! Ummm...me and Guy aren't really getting married. I think.

...Guy, that was just the curse, right?

Oh, Fakir, can I talk to you?

((OOC: Nanami gave Ahiru the flower Fakir gave her and told her it was for her...and Ahiru wants to see what Fakir says about it.))

Are villains plaguing your every step? Are you in need?

FEAR NOT, CITIZENS!

I am Princess Tutu, and in the name of ballet, I will punish the evil-doers! My trusty sidekick, Mr. Cuddles, and I are here to save the day!

Come, Cuddles! Let us search the City for servants of evil!

((OOC: Ahiru is cursed with My Secret Identity, Fakir has Safari Day...so he's a wolf. Who Ahiru is sure is her sidekick.

Anyone need help from EVIL DOERS? =DDD Then let the Graceful Duo of Hope and Courage come to your aid! Or something.))

( Private//mildly difficult to hack )

[Filtered to Cirucci//mildly difficult to hack]

Um, excuse me, Miss Cirucci? Is it alright if I...come over and borrow a cup of sugar, please?

[/filter]

Yesterday was a weird curse, huh? My whole body kept changing colors! Blue and pink and yellow and purple and....I don't even know they really meant. It was odd.

I don't look good when I'm purple at all.

Hey. Rue, could you do me a favor? Could you measure how long my hair is? I'm...kinda curious. It seems like it's been getting really long lately!

((OOC: Icon shows as "Can't help but wonder" until the private portion is hacked. Mood reads as "curious".
EDIT: Fakir (and everyone else) made her take the message down. XD))

Fakir...where are you? Affected by the curse today? It seems to be affecting a lot of people. Hopefully you're doing well...

I think I'll have to go rescue poor Shin, but after that, can I see you? There's something I want to talk about. Nobody is allowed to forget me. Nobody!

((OOC: Switched with Rue, which includes all the lovely side affects of Raven's blood. Thus, she has started Operation: Get My Jerkass Boyfriend Back.))

best.

curse.

EVER.

let's go to the lake and talk to the other ducks!

((OOC:blaaaah, fail, BUT I'M NOT LATE YET.))

Resolutions? Like...things we want to do next year? Okay....

1. I want to make myself smarter and stronger so Fakir and everyone else won't have to worry about me so much.
2. I want to become an even better dancer!
3. I promise I won't lose track of Shin. Or Fluff.
4. ...While I'm at it, I'll be the best...whatever I am for Shin and Fluff I can be!
5. And...and...I'm doing to make sure my relationship with Fakir isn't doomed! You're going to have to help with that too, Fakir!

There. I'll get them done, too!

[It had taken Ahiru until nearly midnight to fall asleep, but she finally did, and slept until late in the morning. It was the sun streaming through the window that finally woke her up with a groan, flailing and covering her face with her hands. She hated getting up in the mornings. Sometimes she just wanted to sleep forever. She pushed up with her left foot and turned on her side, her back to the window. Another hour or two wouldn't be bad, right? Yeah. It couldn't hurt one--

...Her left foot?

She bolted upright in her bed, reaching down and feeling along her left leg. It really did feel like there was a foot there! But no, she was just imagining things, right? She threw back the covers and stared at her perfectly formed, uninjured, normal-looking pair of feet.

She wiggled her left toes. Those were okay. She rolled her ankles back and forth. That seemed okay, too...

Hesitantly, she slid off the side of her bed and put her feet on the floor. (It was cold, but even that made her happy.) It seemed like she could walk on them...

She stood up, and...she could walk!]

M-My foot....my foot's...IT'S OKAY!

[She hopped up and down on her left foot just to make sure--and nearly lost her balance, but to her that just meant that everything was behaving the way they'd always had.]

Wh-Whoa...Hahahaha! FAKIR! RUE! MYTHO! MY FOOT'S OKAY!

[And out the door she ran, jumping, twirling, skipping and running down the hall.]

Fakir!

((OOC: Anyone still at the hospital, feel free to see a duck-girl running through the halls in nothing but a hospital gown. XD Voice post for everyone else.
...She's also got a bit of a craving for candy canes, but she hasn't discovered that yet.))

( Private//semi-difficult to hack )

It's snowing, isn't it? I saw Mouse talking about it. It looks pretty out the window, but...

Fakir...once everything's over, do you think we can check on the ducks at Xanadu? I'm worried they'll freeze out there! We have room in the Opera, right? We've got lots of room! And there's a little pond out back, so they can swim there, and...maybe they'll be okay in Xanadu, but just in case...?

Um...is everyone...okay? I know I haven't been on the Network much since...everything started. I don't really know who's zo sick, and who isn't. Is everyone at the Opera okay?

...

Please don't worry too much. I'm going to be okay. Really.

((OOC: For those that missed Rue's post: Ahiru's left foot was amputated to save her from being a zombie. ...Of course, after the event's over she'll be restored to normal, but she doesn't know that, so she's a liiiittle angsty right now. Not that she'll admit it.

Italics are in German.))