fandomtownies | All Day Sunday: Princess Con!

Who likes yummy goodies?

Hopefully royalt.

Duck was too groggy Sunday morning to do more than flop out of bed and get dressed. Sh dragged herself down to the breakfast buffet and loaded up a plate full of bread products and a mug full of coffee.

Mmm. Nothing better than bread chunks bright and early in the morning.

"How To Succeed in Life Despite Being a Princess" from Cimorene of Linderwall

Where Cimorene tells us all how to succeed.

Cimorene hadn't expected her suggested topic to get past her mother, never mind actually chosen for the convention. But, apparently, it had, and so now after quickly brushing her gown for crumbs and straightening her crown--blasted thing--she was heading for the podium to give a speech.

It was a good thing she was so tall; having to use the little stool to see over the edge like her fourth-eldest sister would have been completely humiliating.

"Since coming to the convention, I have discovered that not every princess has had an upbringing like mine." Lucky girls "One where their parents were more interested in propriety than practicality, where what is 'just not done' outweighs doing what is right. Princesses aren't pets, aren't fragile works of art that need to be protected and swaddled and kept safe. Most of us could probably do something more useful than just scream in the appropriate places when being carried off by a dragon or giant."

Seriously. Anything would be more useful than that. "But if we're going to be taken seriously, the first thing we need to do is take ourselves seriously. We have to know that we're more than pretty dolls to be kept behind glass or on pedestals. If our tutors refuse to teach us useful things, then it's up to us to find new ways to learn them. If our parents tell us we can't keep doing things because they're improper, then we have to find different things to try. We can argue instead of cry, debate instead of pout, fight instead of faint, and, most importantly, we can act like adults when they try to treat us like children."

"We can have the lives we've always wanted, but we have to be willing to work for it. We can't let ourselves be limited by the ideas of what is proper and appropriate. But the first, most important step, is realizing that there's more to us than what the title 'princess' suggests. Thank you."

Where hopefully everyone will learn from Cimorene

Amelia was quite thrilled that Miss Cimorene was giving a presentation this weekend, and had attended mostly because if you couldn't attend the presentation of somebody that you'd gotten drunk on fizzy brown drinks with, then whose could you attend?

When Cimorene had finished talking, she was on her feet and applauding as loudly as she possibly could.

"Beautifully said, Miss Cimorene! Bravo!"

Where the audience can ask questions. Once Cimorene pings in.

Cimorene was looking rather pleased with herself for pulling that off, and would be happy to answer any questions.

Danielle stood up with a smile and a small wave for her new friend. "What would you say is the most important thing a princess could study, then, out of so many things? If we want to be good queens some day."

Cimorene blinked at few times at that question. She knew about being a princess, not about being a queen. She hadn't really even given her eventual status a thought. But, then, as far as she could tell, her mother's job consisted mostly of gracing her husband's arm, making sure the seating chart was correct at state functions, having daughters, and making sure those daughters grew up to be the kind of woman who could smile and nod regally on her husband's arm while correcting a seating chart.

Ugh.

"Economics," Cimorene decided, remembering her lessons with the court treasurer. "And history. A healthy economy is vital for a healthy country and knowing the mistakes that past rulers have made--and what they right, too--will make it possible for the current rulers to know what to emulate and to avoid."

"That seems very sensible," Danielle said after a few moment's thought. "I'm sure someone else might saying 'producing an heir' but since that's at least half our husbands and half out of our hands... And, too, I've noticed that it's much easier for people to be free when no on is too poor, and there is no slavery. Building a strong economy could take a lifetime, I should think."

"I'm not really sure how we'd study for that, either," Cimorene confessed with a laugh. "Producing an heir is something that must be done, but so far, no one's really sat down to teach lessons on the best way of going about that."

Oh, if only Cimorene knew about some of the lessons on the island.

"Building a strong economy, yes, but there's also preserving the one you have, should you be lucky enough to come from a prosperous kingdom. It takes much less time to squander the treasury than it does to build it back up again."

"Like buying far too many dresses and far too many horses and too much entertaining when you really don't have the resources," Danielle said, her tone sour. Stepmother had nearly bankrupted Barbarac, after all, while Danielle and the servants had been desperately trying to economize.

If she ever heard about Marie Antoinette, she'd have a very quiet fit.

"And cutting taxes for your friends while raising them on the poor and the people who can least afford it," Cimorene said, with a nod. "Or constant warring with no regard about how to pay for it all."

"At least that seems unlikely in my country." Thank God. England was far too concerned with the Spanish at the moment, or finding other wives for their king. "I would think that charitable works would be suitable as well, although it's rather difficult to know where to start constructively."

Duck grinned all the wa through Cimorene's talk. There was a speech she could agree with.

"So, what's the best way to go about changing like that which you hate? Should you talk to people about why you think's it's bad, or just show them you can do better?"

Tutu might have been big on talking through problems, but Duck was more unsure about what was better.

"Well, talking doesn't seem to change all that much," Cimorene said, since she didn't actually have much on an answer to Duck's first question. "It's really hard to get people to change their minds just by talking to them."

She had many years of experience, butting her head against her parents' stern, 'That's just not done' speech.

"Being able to prove that you know what you're talking about might be more useful in the long run. Then they'll have proof that you were right."

In case people want to mingle.

Man. They brought even more food for the farewell brunch.

How does that stuff do it all?

And it's one last spot for all the royalty to interact before they head off island. Enjoy!

A toad hopped onto the brunch table with all the food on it, and stared balefully at it.

And did so for quite a while.

Melora saw the toad and ~~couldn't tell the difference between a toad and a frog~~ and wondered if it was the talking variety.

"Lleho." she greeted it.

The toad gave Melora a look that clearly read why are you talking backwards?

It did not, however, speak.

Melora sighed. Who knew she would miss her amphibious friends after only a few days away from home.

It must be because Robin seemed to understand her with no problems.

"Tou ton'd yalk yo dou."

Had the toad been able to speak, it would have said something along the lines of 'Of course I talk, though I'm not sure you can, exactly, but I'm sort of in a bind because of this vindictive witch, so could you wave over some mage or another? I'm having a hard time figuring out how to cast Cleanse Area on myself while I'm a toad'.

It could not, so it merely stared.

The frog wasn't talking, but it did seem to have a sense of purpose Cimorene did not usually associate with most other amphibians. "Are you an enchanted prince?" she asked a little doubtfully.

That... was close enough to the truth to make the toad flail, in as much as toads could flail, which wasn't much.

He did manage to make something of a racket at her. Through sheer bloody determination, because toads weren't quite built for rackets the way frogs were.

"I thought princes usually turned into frogs, not toads," Cimorene said, still looking a trifle dubious. "But perhaps you were cursed by a particularly spiteful witch?"

The toad nodded sagely. He had, as a matter of fact!

He was going to find some way to make Morrigan pay. Just you wait.

"I can only assume you're, ahh, looking for a way to be changed back?" Cimorene asked. She held out her hands for him. "Just to we're clear, me turning you back does not constitute any kind of relationship on our part, okay? I'm just doing a good deed, you're not beholden to me, and I'm certainly not...anything...to you. Got that?"

She'd had a cousin who'd ended up married to the prince she'd turned back from a frog. While it had worked out all right for her, Cimorene was far too young to wed.

The toad looked offended, in a toad-like manner. He was a gentleman, as a matter of fact, and would never presume any kind of relationship based on any... purely functional kissing.

That being said, he was a little dubious about whether you technically could combat magic with kissing. Which would explain the skeptical way he tilted his head as he hopped into her hands.

It worked all the time in Cimorene's world!

Scooping him up, Cimorene's eyes fluttered closed as she laid a slight kiss on the toad's upturned face.

Well, now that did no--

Okay, he did feel a little tingly.

But otherwise, that was pretty much a bust. Dammit, Morrigan!

Now Cimorene was scowling at him. "This had better not be some kind of ploy to convince unsuspecting princesses to kiss you," she warned. "I'm sure this island has plenty of snakes and waterbirds to feed you to."

Duck stared at the toad on the table. She was really tempted to poke it. She wondered, however, if it was a talking toad like the animal people in her town, and if in that case poking it would be a rather rude affront to the toad's personhood. Toadhood. Whatever.

"Hello," she said timidly.

The toad made a croaky kind of toad-noise at her. Seriously, couldn't Morrigan at least have made him a frog?!

Well, probably not talking then. Duck supposed that answered that question. Still didn't mean that it wasn't a perfectly sentient, non-talking animal. Not that she knew anything about that.

"Soooo, are you one of the princesses here for the convention turned into a toad, or are just a normal toad sitting on the table for some reason, and I'm kind of talking to myself?"

... So both of those questions were a--

The toad shook his head.

Then shook his head again. Just to make sure.

Not a princess. Not a normal toad. Not a-- oh, Maker, could he just have some food?

Duck bit her lip as she tried to figure out the toad's double negative. So, not a princess? Or not not a princess? It was so hard to figure out enchantments sometimes.

She wondered if maybe poking the toad really would help her understand.

So she did.

Cimorene was regretfully passing up the fizzy ale. If she was going to be allowed to visit Danielle, she couldn't come home drunk from the convention where she'd met the other princess in the first place.

Danielle had had a lovely time, and been vastly reassured that not all princesses were utterly perfect. She was also considering commuting Ludmilla and Marguerite's sentences... eventually.

For now, though, there was a lovely kind of Belgian waffle, with ice cream. Possibly the most delicious thing in the entire world.

Thanks to all who participated!

Thanks for letting me drop by this weekend! It's been fun to RP at FH again for a bit. :D

*Keeeps you for alllllways* It was so great having you around again!

I'm still making sneaky plans to lock you in a barrel in a closet and make you post things here. No worries, I'll feed you Lucky Charms regularly.

I've no need for Lucky Charms; I already have a much better cereal. :p

Curse you, Count Chocula! My Marshmallow Power has been thwarted!

Hohohoho! Dat iz what you get when you mess with de Monster Marshmallows!

But are they Magically Delicious?

All Day Sunday: Princess Con!

Breakfast!

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Final Presentation

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The Audience

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Post Presentation

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