I have returned with oc!! (No drawing unfortunately bcs my phone is broken. But I do have my laptop so I wrote A LOT) the ultimate yap sesh:
Step 1:-
Ceres Forrest - 10 y.o., She/Her
Ceres would like to believe that she's a good person. She's always polite, if a little different. She tries to be helpful, she tries to be nice to people, and she's played mediator for most all her life. But right now, she felt like she had earned it to be selfishly resentful.
She was finally settled, back in her old place, finally doing something. And now all of that was ruined; nothing would be the same. She can't even look at her skates without a sick feeling twisting in her stomach. She could hear her voice scolding them for their cowardice (because that's what it was, wasn't it? Ceres was scared). But it didn't matter, she was gone now.
So Ceres steels herself and throws herself headfirst into new things. She meets the (admittedly charming) neighbour kids, she works harder than she ever has in school, she's the model little princess. All while avoiding looking at the framed ballerina on the mantle, a reminder of the life she'd loved and lost.
But none of it hits the same, and Ceres doesn't understand why. She's been smiling more than ever; why does it feel fake? Every laugh feels like a lie, every touch like a crushing weight, even her own name sounds sour to her ears when it's called.
Ceres is hollow, wrong, not at all like the warmth that radiates throughout the other children of Golden Grove. But...She does like her neighbours.
Step 1.5 (Moments Sharp and Metamorphosis):-
Ceres "Cerrus" Forrest:- 10-12 y.o., They/She-They/Them
Khione is here, and for weeks after, Ceres is the happiest they've ever been.
The girl of their memories, practically a woman now, with the way she acts. She was a hurricane, impossible not to get swept up in. It happened before, and it's happening all over again. Ceres skates for the first time in months, and she is elated. They hoped for the Olympics, once upon a time; it seemed like Khione's aspirations hadn't changed.
So Ceres dons their glittery leotard (ignoring the way it feels slimy on their skin) and plays the role of ice, of moon, of winter. They don't talk to Qiu or Tamarack or Ren so much, but sacrifices must be made. Khione has been hard at work all this time, Ceres has been hiding from the ice; they need to catch up. She performs jumps and spins and lifts, and it's like a catharsis.
Their friends might be concerned, but they brush them off, no matter how much they want to reveal everything. I'm a liar, I'm sorry, this is the only way I'mabletofeelwholePLEASELEAVEMEALONE-
Khione is here, and for months after, Ceres is the angriest she's ever been.
Khione is hard to please, endlessly so. Ceres doesn't mind, has never minded. She'd bend over backwards to keep her friend. But have Khione's walls always been so high? Her heart seems to be fortified by ice these days. Though that's perhaps ironic coming from Ceres. The memory of the fiery girl she once knew is melting between Ceres' clenched fists like snow.
There are always fragments of truth woven into the most believable of masks. This new Khione, strange and cruel and cold, is terrifyingly convincing.
Khione dyes her hair white, Ceres cuts theirs short. Khione starts to care too much, Ceres cares too little. Khione is the perfect girl, Ceres doesn't think they even are a girl anymore.
Ceres doesn't sleep, they don't eat, they sacrifice *everything* for their and Khione's dream. They call it prioritising, Qiu and Tamarack call it repression.
Step 2:-
Cerrus Forrest:- 14 y.o., They/Ve
Cerrus is a high schooler by now. It doesn't change anything. Their little trio of neighbours draws even further away from each other, though they still wear their friendship bracelets.
Cerrus gets medicated, and they're doing better.
Cerrus is a filthy liar, they're doing worse than ever before. They're also flexible, as someone like them must be. They've learned not to break when they bend. But ve can only take so much of Khione. Ve yells, and Khione does her fair share too, harsh truths spat between them like daggers, intending to kill. Despite their unassuming nature, Cerrus is just as stubborn as Khione.
But time marches on, indifferent to the squabbles of hurting and broken children. Khione, just as familiar with duplicity as Cerrus, signs them up for a competitive figure skating competition for children their age.
They play the perfect duo, despite everything, hiding behind their respective fickle facades. Vir hair is meticulously styled, and so nobody can see the jagged haircut ve had given virself. Their clothes are sleek and elegant, and so nobody looks close enough to see how they hang off vir frame. They flash a smile, and it lets people pretend they aren't baring their teeth.
They win, and yet Cerrus still feels hollow. Why? Why do they still feel empty? Wining was supposed to fix anything, but nothing has changed. Has Cerrus been lying to themselves the whole time? They've always been a liar, whycan'ttheystopLYING?!-
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I did them so dirty-- but it will all be worth it. Steps 2.5 & 3 aren't done yet so I'll edit this later when they are.
Khione is next!! :3