✩｡:*•. ~ The Selection - A Roleplay ~ .•*:｡✩ discussion

Character Profile

(view spoiler)[Name: Alexander "Alex" Schreave
Role: prince of Illea
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Birthday: January 12
Province: Angeles


Appearance:

(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]

Voice claim: Timothee Chalamet
Height: 6' 2"

Personality:

(view spoiler)[What Alex wants more than anything is to help his kingdom, although he fears that he won't be able to do much, since he isn't the heir. He has a lot of plans to improve the country, but people don't always listen to him, which frustrates him. He's learned to be as charming as he can, in order to get people to like him, and, hopefully, care enough to consider his ideas. And since a traumatic experience a few years ago, he also uses that charming facade to hide his PTSD. (hide spoiler)]

History:

(view spoiler)[Alex takes the idea of helping Illea very seriously but has often felt overlooked in comparison to his older brother and his older sister as well, but he learned to use his charm to gain popularity of his own.

When he was 16, several men tried to abduct him. They shot him in the leg, to immobilize him, and he was unable to escape. Several guards arrived before they took him away, and the abductors threatened to shoot Alex again if they didn't let them go. The guards threatened to shoot them if they didn't let him go. In the end, bit abductors were dead, one guard was critically injured, two others had been wounded, and Alex had three bullets in his left leg, and one in his side, inches from his heart. He received medical attention in time, but he had a slow recovery. The incident was kept from the media and public.

After his father told him that no one wants a "damaged" prince, he struggled harder than ever, He dealt with depression, and formed an addiction to the pain meds he had been prescribed after the shooting.

He but managed to perfect and keep up his charming mask, but in truth, he was scared and depressed, plagued by flashbacks an nightmares. He turned to the pain meds more and more as time went on, and his body healed, but his PTSD didn't.

After a while, Lili caught sight of the pills in his room, and while Alex managed to convince her they were something else, Yuna, hearing about, guessed the truth. She tried to get him to quit, and told their mother, but it wasn't until he overdosed that Alex realized he had a serious problem and needed to stop. This was also, when his father learned of the addiction, which only gave him more fuel for cruelty.

Eventually, Alex managed to overcome the addiction, and ever since it takes a lot of pain as well as the necessity of being in public to convince him to take even the weakest of pills.

His charming, optimistic mask has become even more natural for him in the years since the incident. He's so used to hiding behind masks, and being what people want that he sometimes wonders if he even knows himself anymore. (hide spoiler)]

Likes:

- reading
- history
- planning
- music
- black and white clothes
- keeping things organized

Dislikes:

- loud noises
- being overlooked
- people who don't care about Illea, especially if they're in a position of power
- mess
- ties
- large crowds

Fears:

- guns
- never being able to help the kingdom
- being overlooked and considered unimportant
- being alone
- losing his loved ones
- death
- loud noises (reminds him of gunshots)
- strangers
Relationships:

(view spoiler)[Father - Andras Schreave (king of Illea) - @Rory

Alexander has a worse relationship with his father than anyone else in his life. Andras is the king, but he doesn't really care much about Illea. He just does what he feels he has to due to his position. He doesn't really care to improve the country. Alex can't stand this, and Andras, in turn, finds Alex annoying and too strong-willed. Perhaps even his least favorite of his children. Their relationship only deteriorated further after Alex was shot. His father told him that he was damaged, because of his limp, but even more so, because of the effect on his mental health, and no one wanted a damaged prince. He even stooped to doing something he knew would set off Alex's PTSD to "prove" his point. This led to the worst of Alex's depression. He now tries to seem what his father wants when around him, but it's never enough. His father still sees him as weak and stubborn and doesn't hesitate to tell him so.

Mother - Ramona "Mona" Shcreave (queen consort) - @Jillian

Alex's relationship with his mother is very strained. His father treats him horribly, and is either mean to or ignores, Alex's siblings as well, but he and Mona always seem happy together. Alex has drawn the conclusion that, while his mother may be sweet and kind to him personally, she knows about how his father treats him and doesn't care

Brother - Felis Shreave (crown prince) (19) - @Celestina

Prior to his trauma-related bonding with Yuna, Felis was the sibling Alex felt closest to. However, as they have gotten older, they've had less time to spend together, and they began to drift apart. When Alex most needed support, Felis wasn't around much while Yuna was, and this led to a shift in relationship dynamics. Felis, having mostly been ignored by their father, doesn't realize the extent of his cruelty, and Alex won't tell him. Alex also sometimes resents that Felis is the crown prince, although he would never tell him so, and is willing to support him, as long as he does what's best for Illea. They're by no means estranged, but neither are they as close as they once were.

Sister - Dahyun "Yuna" Shreave (19) - @Aelin

Alex is closer to Yuna than anyone else in his family, mostly due to the shared pain of being the two their father is cruelest to. Their father had the boy Yuna loved killed, and lashed out at her physically, about a year before Alex was shot, and, in spite of the fact that she generally seems to hate everyone, including her family, she was there for him when he was dealing with serious depression. Prior to that, they weren't particularly close, but since then, they have been. Alex feels more comfortable around her than anyone else. Their relationship may not be perfect, but it's currently the best one in either of their lives.

Sister - Lilliana "Lili" Schreave (15) - @ellie

Alex and Lili have never been the closest. Lili, like Felis, has been mostly ignored by their father, and is mostly oblivious to how he's treated the other two. Lili, however, has decided to try and gain attention by being mischievous and pulling pranks. While Alex is often jealous of his siblings who don't receive as much of their father's cruelty, he also feels protective of his little sister, and tries to convince her to stop. Lili doesn't appreciate this. They treat each other nicely, but they're not the closest. The siblings have sort of paired off, Alex with Yuna, and Lili with Felis. (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

(can lili and alexander rp here rn? im bored :P)

(oh sure, why not? Do you wanna start?)

(yay! you start or me? i just want to practice long replies also))

(i can)

(why don't you? You'll be the one coming in, after all)

Lili knocked on Alexanders door "Alex? can i come in please??" she shoutedd through the door. Lili was wearing jeans and a sweater, her hair down. she had just taken a bath so she smelled like lilacs.

"Alex? Can I come in please?" Lili shouted from outside his door.

Alex flinched. Why was she always so loud? He closed his notebook and placed it inside his desk. "Coming," he called.

He stood, rubbing his sore leg before walking over to his door, and opening it to let his little sister in.

(when is this in the timeline, btw?)

she flopped onto his couch "youre so lucky. you dont have to wear itchy dresses all day" she said her voice muffled from the cushion "and corsets. you dont have to wear corsets. granted i dont wear them much but they still are torture"

(day before the selection. that what im going with anywau)

Alex hesitated for a moment before sitting on the other end of the couch. He needed to stop Lili if she was going to keep talking about corsets, of all things. "Well, you don't have to wear ties," he countered.

ellie HIATUS 7.8-7.12 wrote: "(day before the selection. that what im going with anywau)"

(alright, cool)

"ties are nothing" she said.. sitting up she leaned against the back of the couch "the Selected girls are coming tomorrow, you ready?" she started picking at her nails, a common nervous habit of hers "i know its for Felis but im nervous"

Alex was nervous too. All those extra people... he steadied his breathing. "I'm sure there's no need to be too worried. And like you said, it's for Felis." He smiled. "Unfortunately, I fear I'll have to wear a tie when they arrive. They are not nothing by the way. They're so... tight. Make you feel like you're suffocating." That was much more truth than he usually let slip out around anyone other than Yuna.

"clearly youve never woren a corset. i can barely breathe. but i do see how a tie can suffacate you" she said looking at him "cassandra said the girls might try to get close to me to get closer to Felis. that i have to be prepared for that. that i cant be weak"

Alex didn't know how to respond to that. There was certainly some truth to that, but Lili was so... innocent. "They might," he admitted. She did need to be prepared after all. "And you should be prepared for it. But you're not weak. You'll be fine."

"but what if im not? we havent done this before. i know its for Felis but theres going to be girls in the palace trying to marry him, thats a little freaky atleast for me" she had started rambling, and overthinking everything.what if they are rebel spies and try to kill me? what if they hurt Felis? or alexander? or Yuna? or Mother? she thought

He honestly had to agree with her. But telling her so? That didn't really feel like an option. "It is rather weird, thinking of Felis getting married, isn't it?"

she nods, looking at the ground "really weird. then yuna will get married off. then me to some random foreign prince i meet twice who's 4 years older than me. which isnt that much older but still" again more rambling, she cant help it.

"Who knows? Maybe you'll fall in love." He smiles at her. "You never really know." And what about him? What would Father want to do with him?

(I'm gonna have to go in a second? How should we wrap this up? With Lili leaving? I'll be happy to rp with these two again sometime tho.)

(Sorry, gotta go now.)

"love is…complicated" the only examples of love vshe has were her parents, who love each other so much that there wasntf any left for the kids, well from her father anyway. he always ignored her, not acknoloding her excistance. she knew her brother had it worse, but didnt know the full extent of his relationship with their father.

(ill have her leave. sorry takes me a sec to type repliess lol. id love to rp them again anytime)

"i better go. i have things to do." she said getting up and straightening her sweater. Lili headed out the door, closing it shut.

Alex stared at the closed door. He had to agree. Love was very complicated.

The Night Before the Selection

Alex sighed as he entered his room.

"There you are, Your Highness."

He looked up. His servant, Jacob. He didn't feel like dealing with anyone now. He glanced at the clock. 11:00.

He shouldn't have stayed up so late tonight of all nights.

"Where have you been?"

Alex wondered just how much Jacob knew. Too much, probably. "I was just out in the gardens. I'm fine." He started unbuttoning his shirt again. "You can go. I'm fine."

"Are you sure, Your Highness?"

"Yes."

Jacob left, and Alex dropped onto his sofa with another sigh.

He wasn't prepared for tomorrow.

He quickly changed and climbed into bed, but in spite of the time, he didn't feel tired. No, he was tired, he just couldn't fall asleep.

What if he had the nightmare tonight?

The Night Before the Selection (continued)

Alex sat up screaming, the sound of gunshots echoing in his ears. He stopped the screaming, kicked back the covers, and sat there panting.

It was just a nightmare, he told himself, steadying his breathing. You're used to it.

He was. Sure, there were different variations, but in the end, it was still always the same.

Hadn't living through it once been enough?

He pressed his palms to his eyes. What time was it? He glanced at the clock. 2:30. Too early to stay up.

But he couldn't go back to sleep. Not just yet.

He pushed his sweaty hair back, and dropped back onto his pillow, staring up at the ceiling.

He was so hot.

He peeled off his sweat-soaked shirt, and tossed it onto the floor, briefly wondering if it would lead to gossip if he forgot to pick it up before a servant saw it.

But there weren't any royals visiting at the moment. He should be free from rumors.

He needed rest. He couldn't afford to be exhausted when the Selected arrived tomorrow. Or, today, rather.

He didn't want to sleep, but he didn't want to get up either. There were no good options after he had the nightmare.

Going back to sleep meant risking returning to it.

But getting up...

Well, he should certainly be safe as long as he stayed in his room.

He knew he would likely be safe anywhere, but he'd rather not take any chances.

He forced himself to remain lying down.

If he was tired all day, it would only make things worse.

He couldn't make himself fall asleep though.

Finally, he walked over to his bookshelf and grabbed his old copy if Harry Potter and the Sorcorer's Stone. It was an old book from back before the third World War. But it had survived. And at this point, it was a comfort read.

Hopefully, it would help calm him down.

The Morning of the Selection

Alex awoke to the sound of his alarm and sighed. He felt so tired. Maybe five more minutes? He glanced over at the clock. No, five more minutes wasn't an option.

He lay there for a moment, before forcing himself to sit up. He shouldn't have stayed out in the gardens so late last night. He was paying for it now. And on the day the Selected arrived. He had known better.

He rubbed his eyes and ran his hands through his hair. Well, he supposed he needed to pull himself together. He climbed out of bed. Pain shot through his leg. It often felt worse when he was tired.

He caught sight of his shirt lying on the floor, and quickly snatched it up, remembering the rumors Titus had told him about. The last thing he needed was another one now. Nothing had come of any of them before, but with the Selected arriving... well, he didn't want to take chances.

He put away the book he had apparently fallen asleep reading, and pulled the shirt on, just to be safe, before sending for his servants.

"Good morning, Your Highness."

"Good morning." Alex smiled, although the morning felt anything but good.

The servants helped him get dressed. He had to wear a suit unfortunately. He would prefer to forgo the jacket. But the real problem was the tie. "I'd rather wait to put that on," he said.

"Alright."

Alex dismissed them, then dropped onto his sofa with a sigh. He wouldn't have a problem putting the tie on himself, he had done it a hundred times, seeing his habit of escaping crowds and untying it at least once at nearly every event.

This... The Selection would be one event after another. Camera crews around all day. Thirty-five extra people living in the palace.

He took off his suit jacket and hung it over the armrest.

I can handle it. I have to