vstridb

[vstridb]

HSHQTASK059: FAREWELL !

when did you join ? what made you join ? what do you remember from the plotlines that were current at the time ? where were you in life when you joined and where are you now ?

i joined in early (?) 2017. i had a lucky blue smith fc but that lasted for a hot minute and i ghosted LMAO. then i reapplied with astrid and as a bernadotte, i had sooo much fun <3 i don't remember ANYTHING, i'm sorry i just don't. i think irenton was still in its slowburn era. i was still in high school, about to graduate. now i have a master's degree and i'm working, crazy stuff!!!!

which characters have you written over the years ?

astrid, uriah 1.0 and 2.0, vitaliya, verona, francisco / francois, arvid, a dudley o'shaughnessy fc ( for 1 sec before ghosting )... i think that's everyone ???

what is your favourite plotline that you've been part of ?

i had a lot of fun writing chimei. i think it was the height of hshq for me so it really sticks out to me. idk if the bernadottes as a whole count as a plotline ? i'm such a sucker for them. the NUMBER one plotline though would be the russian plots vitya was part of. i think it's a sign of a good plotline when a 60-year-old character's threads are interesting and have me logging in. i don't want to name every plot but i have to give a mention to italy's stuff. i picked up verona because there was a huge hole in the hshqverse since italy had no rep, and i figured i'd survive without any nephews and nieces but then you all came back and i was so overjoyed <3 verona's story became so much more fulfilling for me to write.

what about other people's plotlines ?

i know i was kinda involved but watching the basel thing evolve was super entertaining. i liked the whole thing from beginning to the end. as for smaller plots, i think the spanish fires fucking up first zhergi and the farnauld has to be my fave thing. it was so wild and i LOVED the fact that a 3 year-old-plotline still had an effect on current threads and in such a surprising way <3

who is your favourite character from the ones you've played ? why ? what made you love them ? what made them so fun to write ?

astrid.... of course it's astrid. she was my age so i mirrored a lot of problems from my own life and made them hers. obviously they were exaggerated problems and shit but through astrid i got to write about emotions that were current to me. it was therapeutic and fun. i've loved all of my characters a lot though. vitya was so special because she was a character like no other. i loved creating her backstory and i had so much fun working on her psyche. a former USSR with a modest background, now an extremely influential duchess ? i loveeed it. it was so different and writing her inner monologue was so satisfying.

if you could relive a plotline, which would it be ?

i think the beginning of chimei. there was something about it. it moved naturally. i really miss the time.

is there a plotline that you'd edit now if you could ?

i'd speed up ilstrid so that we would actually get to write them getting together. i'll take the blame for ilstrid never really taking off lmao sry about that evy. i also wanna say that ilstrid is one of my fave ships because it was so easy and not-at-all-stressful to develop. it may have not reached its end, we didn't get a satisfying ending but i think it was so much fun to portray that kind of a love story. i wasn't a fan of friends-to-lovers trope but ilstrid is still one of my fave ships <3

what's a plotline you wish you would have been able to finish before closing or just write more of ?

ilstrid akfndsjkgbsnjg but also i think i would have enjoyed writing verona as the grand duchess of austria too. i do regret never applying for an austrian. it was something that "i'll do later" and never did it. it was partly because i didn't have a plotline for an austrian and couldn't naturally come up with one :(

what is your favourite ooc memory ?

when we brought the zulus. i don't think anything topped it. we made some really fucking shady and weird online chatroom to figure out the zulus' backstory and it was so much fun. i hadn't been that excited for something in a long time!!! and i think i'll have to mention all of the late nights of chatting with people. it was a big part of the hshq experience. we were all actual friends and i loved joking around. and i'll say it here now because this is so embarrassing but honestly i've always felt so appreciated when people have used the term naomi'd. it felt like a nickname fkjsgnjkgn and i'm glad i never upset anyone with my pushiness skdgngj

where can others find you if they want to get in touch ?

i'll disappear, i'm sorry but i think it's inevitable. i've enjoyed the chats and like i said i've loved to joke around but i'm not a person who really does online relationships. hshq was an exception and it'll stay as one. if you guys ever start writing again, pls im me or @ me. if it's meant to be, i'll stumble upon the message at the right time <3

what else would you like to say ?

oh dear ! i have so much to say but not enough words to express my feelings ! seven years is a long time to be part of something and i never expected to remain here for such a long time. i've been allowed to write and plot and create complex and inspiring plotlines with you, and i think it's been exceptional. hshq was something else among rpgs. anyone who has been part of this, has to agree. i think it says a lot that even though the dash died, on the very day of closing, six or so members did the final task. and i have a feeling we'll see many 058 and 059 tasks this week. i've laughed a lot with you, i've stayed up until the little hours just to be part of the experience, i've cried at your writing... i think honesty hours will be the epitome of joy for me. they always made me laugh and the energy was unbeatable. hshq has given me so much joy and has taught me a lot ! about people, about writing, about the english language and photoshop !!! you guys have no fucking idea how grateful i am of this experience and i wish i could relive it --- and that's a really good sign. sometimes we are glad to reach the ending but i don't think that applies here. this spring will feel different and this week will feel horrible. i have to admit, i'm not exactly ready for this and it feels so silly because it was 'just rp' aksfdbjdsgs thank you everyone for these years, the late nights and the amazing experience <3

#i'm crying :(((( #hshqtask059 #59 tasks!!!! i'm so proud of us

[vstridb]

HSHQTASK058: THE FINAL CHAPTER !

astrid's lack of ambition is the thing that will take her around the world, from one adventure onto another, but it will never grant her the satisfaction of knowing where she belongs.

astrid sails between paris, stockholm, zagreb and whichever city the majority of her friends are in. at one point it's berlin, then nice, then copenhagen... astrid fails to stay still because there is always an offer to come live in a city for a few months. she keeps ilija off of her mind. he's just a friend among many. her lips remain sealed until one evening when she blurts the truth out. she's been foolish and he's been blind.

ilija fits into the picture a bit poorly, it cannot be denied. astrid has, without anyone realizing it, become very much like anton. she's a wanderer, she enjoys adventures ! becoming linked with the crown prince of croatia feels difficult but she doesn't let it bother her. their pace is slow and since they've been friends for such a long time, they don't need to be around each other 24/7. when ilija proposes, astrid knows it's time to grow up. she settles down in zagreb but has an apartment in paris. she's not principled enough to stay away from the city and with ilija's own cousin as the queen, it's perfectly acceptable ! they more or less split their time between the two cities.

she first turns 27 then 31 then 35 and realizes the world around her has changed massively but she... she hasn't. not at the very core. what has changed is the insecurity that was once so tightly woven into her. anxiousness has grown quieter, her mistakes bother her less, and the opinions of others merely exist to guide her now. enjoying life has become easier. there are times when she feels very insignificant compared to the people around her. anton is one of the few people who keeps her sane and keeps her from thinking about getting involved in politics ( she's not genuinely interested nor is she cut out for it ). the toughest thing to accept is ilija's future role as a head of state that he seems very prepared for. his work always serves to remind her of how much time has passed and how far away are the days of their youth.

children, in an odd way, make her feel energized. they keep her busy, especially in the beginning. ilija and astrid's first daughter is born in 2028 and the second one 18 months later in 2029. when astrid gets pregnant, she accepts that it's time to close the curtains on the paris chapter and really settle down in zagreb. she can't have ilija and herself fly back and forth all the time, and she's a firm believer in having her children call only one place home.

her art degree eventually gets dusted off when she sets up shop in paris. the kids are in uni, ilija is a very busy man as the king of croatia. so she picks up a new project: a small gallery not too far away from freja and lucien's old apartment. she's a sucker for nostalgia even at the ripe age of 51. she still visits the same corner cafe that she used to at 20. it's under a new name now but the furniture's practically the same. the menu still holds the only important item: paris-brest pastry.

mira's ( her second kid's ) university graduation feels like a slap in the face. where has the time gone ? it wasn't a long time ago when she was celebrating her own degree. ebba and rohan are getting old and she's not far behind. freja's son is more than prepared to step into his mother's shoes. there are whispers of arnauld d'orléans' deteriorating health. even russia may see a new czar soon... she's lived long enough to know when the wind is picking up. changes are coming and it's no good living in two places.

astrid eventually leaves paris. the people who kept her there are no longer there. the art scene is foreign to her now and void of familiar faces. there's a new generation of art lovers and she isn't quite 'hip' enough. ilija is her home. zagreb has become her home. the glimmer of paris and the art scene has worn off, she doesn't find much worth in it anymore. family is the most important thing to her. always has, always will.

#hshqtask058

[vstridb]

" OH. " she blinked more than a few times before dropping her volume. " oh... " this was too awkward now. she had hyped it up in her head so much. she had trained her face to make the correct expressions and now ? now she was meant to look the opposite ! " that's terrible. it was such great news and you were excited and- and... yeah... how are you holding up ? how's ireti ? it's probably really tough for her. "

❝ ACTUALLY, WE'RE NOT. my bad, i should've waited until we were sure to tell you. ❞ not that there was a reality in which he'd do that but it would've been the smart thing to do. ❝ false positive, the doctor had an explanation for it, i just stopped paying attention after i heard the word false. so no baby. ❞

#[ ILIJA ]

[vstridb]

i just wrote the task thingy and i'm sooooo emotional and sad that this is ending but so glad that hshq is ending in such manner <3

you guys, i know i was the flakiest bitch but oh MY GOD !!!! hshq was such a big part of my high school / the beginning of uni. what started as an attempt to cure my boredom in history class turned into 5 ? 6 ? years of writing and friends and art and so so so many fun times. i wish it could have gone on forever because hshq has brought me so much pure joy !!!!

#hshqooc #throw back to the times when the hshqooc tag was 90% me commenting on every thread #aaaaah #ily guys

[vstridb]

" EVERYONE'S ALL GROWN SUDDENLY. i feel like i'm still stuck being 19 and fresh out of high school. everyone's married and/or expecting, and i'm still trying to find something to do. please tell me you aren't engaged like everyone else. " [ 2025ish | @lucianabxlla ]

[vstridb]

" YOU'RE PREGNANT !? " her voice was as high pitched as it would get ! " i mean, i mean, not you but you, the plural. you're having a baby !? " [ @ilijaf ]

[vstridb]

icb the gossip is spreading 🤣🤣🤣

#hshqooc

[vstridb]

ilijaf​:

     - ‘ I’M ALRIGHT. ’ aside from the bit of blood on the side of his left arm that he had no idea how ended up there or if it was even his, there was nothing unusual about ilija. he’d been far more worried about getting caught and not knowing whether the rest of his group had too than any bruises he might have acquired. still, he worried sol might have gotten one herself — even if he couldn’t imagine astrid putting herself in a situation where anyone would want to hurt her — so he decided to look for any blood on her before pulling her into a hug, in hopes that would help calm his own heart. ‘ what happened ? what are they doing ? is someone seriously hurt ? do they want ransom ? ’

DESPITE HAVING A PERFECTLY GOOD REASON to be in such close contact with ilija, it somehow felt like she was stealing a moment. she felt like a liar and a schemer to be able to rest her head against him. with these thoughts in her head, could she sincerely say she wanted comfort from him ? “ we don’t know. there hasn’t been any demands yet and they’ve let us be. we’ve been just... waiting, i guess. ” it was a great test on anyone’s patience. “ did you really run off ? ” her eyes wrinkled just a bit. stupidly daredevilish but somehow endearing a stunt.

#[ ILIJA ]

[vstridb]

“ ILIJA ! ” thank FUCK. it was all there was to say ! thank FUCK she was not going to die surrounded by people who at best inspired lukewarm feelings in her. “ hey are you ok ? you’re not hurt ? were you limping ? you have a broken leg ? ” she couldn’t keep herself from poking and prodding him all around. something had to be wrong. otherwise this was too good to be true. [ @ilijaf​ ]

#[ ILIJA ]

[vstridb]

jclvni​:

“ not the point. you didn’t meet him because you’d been spending time with me. ” all of her charm was rooted in how little maintenance it took to keep her around. when had the expectations escalated from breakfast the morning after to a snow trip with her friends ? his jaw tenses the more she prods. conjuring a few pretty words to dissipate her qualms would be easy. but he knows how this goes. the words will please her, he’ll pleasure her. the consolations will salve her concerns ! until the next time, god forbid, their schedules don’t align. she’ll whine, he’s making no effort. so he’ll sacrifice a little more time, until that’s not enough, she’ll whine, what are we? lather, rinse, repeat — fuck no. “ just like i didn’t meet ilija through you, i met him through my ex-girlfriend. ” the circumstances upon which one meets-the-friends makes all the difference. he’s certain he’s shaken hands with ebba bernadotte at some gala or charity function or wedding, but never once in the past year with astrid on his arm. context ! “ you can’t seriously wonder why i have no interest in entertaining you and your friends for a week in the snow. you had no issues with our arrangement until you got back. ”

“ OH COME ON ! obviously i’m going to have some expectations. i’m not asking you to post a picture of me on ig. i’m asking you to fucking come have fun with me in a setting that’s not this. ” the one that made it very difficult to tell if he cared about a single thing about her. “ i can’t even tell if we’re honestly even friends. i have new friends who’ve shown more companionship than you have ! and you’re supposed to be, like, a bit more than a friend. ” it was so annoying. it was so annoying to be asking him to prove himself to her. if he’d do at least something, she could get rid of that nagging feeling that told her that she didn’t particularly like jelani. he was funny, he was easy to talk to, he was flirty — but when it came to anything deeper, she wasn’t sure if she saw anything of substance. but if she were to admit that, she wouldn’t know how to explain the past year. what kind of a person ended up in a relationship with someone whose every aspect they didn’t like ? “ you’re literally being a pissy baby. who the fuck thinks a skiing trip is an issue ?  even ilija brought ireti. ”

#[ JELANI ]

[vstridb]

jclvni​:

“ the point— ” his fingers catch her knuckles as they touch his cheek, pushing her hand back by her own side, “ —is that i don’t need to meet your friends. those are your friends. just like you don’t have to meet mine. ” he doesn’t need vickie, with little devil horns, hovering over sol’s shoulder, coercing evil desires of bouquets and dates and labels into astrid’s perfectly content head ! her gunfire of questions has a chuckle escaping under his breath. “ this jealousy is not the adorable look you think you’re getting at. ”

“ I’VE MET AUREL, ” she points out as if it really means anything. he has met ilija. he has met all of her royal friends. probably. “ that wasn’t a joke. ” he needs to take her seriously. “ i’m not jealous i’m just wondering. like is this how you treated her or is this just a me and you thing ? ” 

#[ JELANI ]

[vstridb]

jclvni​:

“ —sol, ” it takes every strength to contain his groan. how many excuses must he make before she will finally grasp the hint ? “ you go enjoy your trip with your friends. we can book ourselves some place nice before you leave. city or coastal ? ” 

SOL, he sighs as if it’s an answer. “ the point is to have you there. c’mon, how thick are you ? ” her knuckles gently knock the side of his head. she can’t bring herself to smile very brightly. “ is this how you were with her too ? barely putting in the effort... making the smallest of favours look like big ones... ” she is sounding much more bitchier than she wants.

#[ JELANI ]

[vstridb]

“ HEYA ! ” she waved her hand wildly. “ how would you feel about a girls’ night out ? ” [ @iretiolowu​ ]

#[ IRETI ]

[vstridb]

jclvni​:

“ not even a scratch ? damn, vickie. ” which one was vickie ? she talks so much and to so many people. he can’t be blamed for not giving two flying fucks about a vickie. “ never done either, but i can skateboard. snowboarding can’t be too different, huh ? ”

“ IT’S UHM... no, it’s not too different. at least the people who skateboard say that getting the hang of snowboarding was ten times easier than learning how to ski. ” it was only february ! easter was just around the corner... “ there’s another trip in april ? we should do like a weekend trip, just the two of us, before that and then it won’t be too bad to go in a big group ? what do you think ? ” 

#[ JELANI ]

[vstridb]

verona’s & astrid’s looks !

#i was gonna do all 4 #but then i figured i'd wait for the second part for the tiara look <3 #hshqevent040 #[ WARDROBE ]

[vstridb]

“ AND LIKE THEN ! then vickie fell and we were super sure she had broken her leg. she did a whole tumble. but nope ! not a single scratch ! you missed so much. have you ever even skied ? snowboarded ? ” [ @jclvni ]

#[ JELANI ]

[vstridb]

“ HONESTLY ? nothing exceptional happened... ” she should have come up with some story ! or exaggerated the truth ! now sylvie thought she was dull... “ i heard like a MILLION people jumped into the pool. i don’t know how i missed the memo ! ”

“ did anything strange happen to you on new year’s eve? ” @vstridb​ 

#no worries <3 #thank you so much !!! #[ SYLVIE ]