Well, I’ll try to make this blog a short one, but I’m not sure where to start. Emi is a special character to Niels’ PM and I. She was the first third-generation character that I had in popmundo, and the first grandchild of my first character, Rosa. So it’s a pretty big deal. Her story started off rather promising, and we had a blast playing out her stories and finding pictures for her throughout the years. Sadly, as the years passed, not only did Amanda and Niels’ story start to dissipate, but Emi became a rather inactive character, and still is. So, after much thought, I’ve finally decided to put her to rest for now. She will be “dead” in popo, but alive as an NPC. Maybe she will return one day, but for now, I believe that this is the best decision. Thank you to everyone over the years who have played with Emi… most of Emi’s friends are dead or inactive anyway lol. For everyone else, especially family, consider her very much alive! Thank you again,
Emi’s PM/Alternate She
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“I made it in!!” Emi ran throughout the apartment, shouting her good news. “Mum, dad! I made it. I got accepted into Juilliard!” She nearly jumped into each of her parents’ arms as she found them in the kitchen. She did a celebratory dance around the kitchen island and was soon joined by Eliana.
Emi twirled her sister around, making her giggle, and then after a while, Eliana said, “Why are we dancing?” Laughing, Emi replied. “I got into that school that I’d applied for. The big, famous one in New York.” “Oh yay!! Wait… boo…” Eliana’s smile quickly turned into a frown. Emi’s heart broke a little when she realised the same thing that Elia had. “You’re leaving us… again.” She frowned and plopped down into the chair near the kitchen table. Emi glanced towards her parents, all celebration gone. As if getting her cue, Amanda approached Elia and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Hey… she’ll visit often. Right?” She looked at Emi, and Emi knew she had no choice but to say yes. Emi got down onto her knees beside Elia’s chair and playfully nudged her younger sister’s chin. “Maybe YOU can even visit. I know how much you love New York. You can come see me do big performances… visit aunt Ceci and Uncle Rico… We’ll talk on the phone all the time and I’ll send you lots of pictures and stuff. It’s going to be fun. You’ll see.” Elia listened for a while and then nodded reluctantly. “Okay,” she said. She glanced at her parents now. “So can we celebrate with cake and stuff?” Emi chuckled. “I second that question. We definitely need cake.” And Emi needed to call her Aunt Ceci and tell her the big news. It was refreshing being back in New York. Emi loved Europe, but New York had been ‘home’ for so many years. It was strange going to her family house all by herself though. It seemed like as soon as her parents had gotten this place, they gave it up to for London. A lot was happening in London at the time. Now, however, Emi felt the urge to stay away from London. After Aubrey's accident, her Uncle and Aunt's death… it seemed London was quite unlucky.
Emi left her suitcases at the front door and headed upstairs to her bedroom. It was still rather childish, but even now, she loved her pink paradise. She dropped her body onto the bed, finally relaxing for the first time in days. She didn’t have much time to relax though. She’d come just in time for her audition, which would take place in just 4 hours. Then on Christmas Eve night, she was heading to Unlucky London to surprise her family. She hadn’t told them her decision yet. She didn’t want them to talk her out of it or sway her ideas in any way. Her stomach was a knot of nerves for her audition, so eating was difficult, but somehow she forced herself to do it. Somehow, she mustered up enough energy to get dressed, stretch and head out for her dream audition. One of many dreams, that is. In the cab, she admired the concrete jungle that was New York City. Could she live here, on her own, as an adult? She didn’t know. If she made it to Juilliard, she’d have no choice, but it not, she still considered moving there. She was lost in her thoughts when the cab driver yanked her out of her daydreaming mode. “Miss? We’re here.” “Oh!” Emi jumped, startled, and began fumbling in her purse for cash. She handed the money to the driver and hopped out. For a moment, she just stared at the renowned performing arts school. She couldn’t believe she was actually here. Taking a deep breath, she gave herself a quick pep talk. “Okay, Emilia. You can do this. I know you can.” “But whyyyy are you leaving?” Anne-Laure whined as they stretched in the empty ballet room. It was between classes so no other students were there at the moment. “You’re one of the best dancers here,” Anne-Laure continued. “It’s a good programme. You could get into the Opéra national de Paris, or--”
“--or I could get into the New York City Ballet,” Emi interrupted. She shrugged. Looking at Anne-Laure’s confused expression, she said, “I applied to Juilliard. Some of the best dancers in the world were trained there. Maybe I could get into the New York City Ballet, the American Ballet theater… Bolshoi Ballet.” “Wait a minute… New York? Russia? I thought you were going to London? What happened to the Royal Ballet?” Anne-Laure began tying the ribbons of her pointe shoes around her ankle. “I don’t think I necessarily want to go to Russia; I was just aiming high,” Emi said with a shrug. “I want to be either in London or New York where I can be close to family. And besides, my parents have a house in New York too, so that would save me on housing.” For a while, ,there was nothing but silence in the room, and then after a while, Anne-Laure said, “Will you keep in touch with me?” Emi glanced over and smiled at her friend. The girl was incredibly annoying, but she made such an effort to be a great friend. Emi couldn’t bear to be mean to her. “Of course I will,” said Emi. “You have my number. And I love Paris. I promise I’ll visit.” After this semester, Emi was heading back home to her family. She’d decided. She’d go to school in London and maybe try to get into Juilliard or something. At least at Juilliard, she could be closer to her Uncle Rico and Aunt Ceci in New York. This whole being away from home and being away from the family just wasn’t working out for her. Maybe she was spoiled. Maybe she was too used to being a part of a big family, but the loneliness was threatening to swallow her.
The only thing that kept Emi at school this long was her passion for dance. When she stepped onto the dance floor or onto the stage, nothing else mattered. She wondered if that was a shallow take on life. If she was selfish for feeling this intense amount of emotion and commitment to an artform. Her mother had given up her dreams of being a prima ballerina to bring Emi into the world. Emi wasn’t so sure that she’d give up dance for anything. Not even for kids. In the year she’d been at the Centre Danse du Marais, she hadn’t made many friends. There was only Anne-Laure who was a pain in the butt, but still a pretty nice person nonetheless. Still, Emi didn’t feel obligated to keep in touch with her when she returned to London. Was there something wrong with her that she couldn’t hold on to friends? She hadn’t even held on to any childhood friends. With a sigh, Emi submitted applications to the London Ballet and to Juilliard. Maybe it wouldn’t look good on he resume, but after Christmas, she would be saying Au revoir to Paris and hello to London or New York city. With great ambivalence, Emi boarded a plane from London to Paris. She would miss home, as she always did, but honestly she was looking forward to getting back to her craft. Due to her uncle’s death, London had brought about a family reunion of sorts. Of course, it wasn’t a cheerful occasion, but it was nice to see everyone again. All the kids were growing up, and really quickly too. Emi’s cousins - the twins - Eryn and Mya were three years old now. Emi hardly ever got to see them since they lived in South Africa with Emi’s aunt Bella and uncle Nathan.
Then there were the Barthels from New York; the family Emi was closest to. Jesse was three years old now too. Then there was also Rhys. Emi’s 17-year-old adopted uncle. He was in no way connected by blood, but Emi considered him family anyway. The only thing that set him apart from true family, at least when it came to interacting with her, was that he was incredibly flirty towards her. Rhys seemed like one of those ‘bad boys’. A total flirt, a tough guy, but Emi had a feeling that he really was a sweetheart on the inside. She’d invited him to visit her in Paris, but mainly because he was so insistent on visiting. She’d made one thing clear though: he could visit but he would not be staying in her room, and the flirting had to stop. “Goodbye, my Ballerina,” he’d said the last time they met. They’d chatted over some sweet pastries and coffee/tea, and then parted. Perhaps Emi had met a new friend for life. Gods knew that she found it difficult to find and keep friends. Rhys was a bit rough around the edges, but Emi looked forward to him visiting in Paris. Until then, it was time to adjust to student life again. Never in a million years did Emi expect to be attending her Uncle Eli’s funeral. Not that she foresaw attending any of her aunts or uncles’ funerals, but Eli was the youngest (next to Aubrey, of course). It was a bizarre feeling, dressing in all black and preparing to see her uncle’s lifeless body. It made her blood crawl just thinking about it.
She’d never been very close to her uncle Eli, not the way she was close to her Uncle Rico and Aunt Ceci. Still, his death put a sting in her heart. He was family, after all, and on top of that, he was leaving behind his pretty wife and two daughters. They were so young! Only 4 and 5 years old. Emi couldn’t imagine losing a parent that young. She couldn’t even imagine losing one of her parents now, at the age of 16. Maybe the worst part of the whole situation was that he’d been senselessly murdered. Mugged. And in country so, so far away from home. It actually made Emi a little frightened to walk the streets of Paris alone. True, India was far different than France, but still… She was sure that Eli hadn’t fathomed getting attacked in India. The atmosphere in London was heavy. A stark comparison to what it had been around Christmas time. The creepy part about that was that Eli had already been dead. It was just that no one knew it as yet, aside from Aelin. Emi sat with her parents and siblings, her hands reverently folded in her laps. She listened to the heart-wrenching eulogies, she watched the endless tears flow from the eyes of Eli’s many loved ones. With all her heart, Emi hoped that she wouldn’t have to attend another funeral for a long, long, very long time. She hoped that wherever Eli was, if he believed in some sort of afterlife, that it was treating him well. Emi’s summer in Paris had transformed into a 1-year scholarship at the Centre Danse du Marais. After the incident with Antoine, Emi had really kept her head in the game. No more foolishness. Complete focus. No time for boys or fun. Just dance, dance, dance. Anne-Laure thought she was ‘no fun’ but Emi couldn’t care less. At least she was proving herself as a competitor to be reckoned with. She was a threat to all those pretty, long-legged girls who thought they were better than everyone else.
Maybe her parents wouldn’t be too proud of who/what she’d become. Maybe it was a little stuck up that she rejected anything that wasn’t ballet, but the programme was cut-throat. It required more training and more focus than Emi had ever experienced in her life. Emi was grateful to go home for Christmas. It was a relief to just be herself again. To be friendly, and open. To see her younger siblings. Kobe, in just a few months they’re all grown so much. Nicco was losing his baby face and, for the first time, Emi realised that Angelo might get taller than she was. It was so strange to imagine, but she figured she better get used to the idea. Elia was growing up too. She was more mature, less hyper. In just a few months! Emi wondered if her being away forced her siblings to grow up. One thing she knew for sure was that even though Paris was where she lived during the school year, home was always where the family is. Soon, she’d return to Paris and continue her new life, but Christmas reminded her of who she was. Niels had always been “that” father. You know… the one who threatened all potential boyfriends and dove into rage when a random guy even cast a glance in Emi’s general direction. It wasn’t that Emi never took her father’s warnings seriously, and it definitely wasn’t that she didn’t listen… she simply thought he was exaggerating.
Then there was Antoine. He was quite handsome with his dark eyes and sandy brown hair. Emi felt different around him that she’d ever felt around anyone else. She got butterflies in her stomach, and the whole giggle phenomena. It was embarrassing just how incoherent she became around him, but eventually she started to grow accustomed to his presence. He gave her excuses to escape Anne-Laure and leave the dorm room for a while. They visited on-campus movies, and games in Antoine’s rooms. He complimented her, told her she was the best dancer at the academy. Emi was getting sucked into the vortex of romance when a bright light came on. She started to recognise the looks on the other girls’ faces when Antoine spoke to them. She She started to notice the slightest brush of his hand against his when he walked by, or the fleeting gaze laced with flirtation. He was a player. A dreamy, handsome, French player, but one nonetheless. Hadn’t it been guys like him who her dad had warned her about? Feeling incredibly stupid, Emi retreated to her dorm room and put earbuds in her ears to block out Anne-Laure’s constant chatter. She made a silent vow to herself to stay focused on dance. Not on friends and certainly not on guys. She came to Paris to dance and that was all she was going to do. Anne-Laure was like a pesky pet that Emi couldn’t get rid of. Emi wasn’t sure how to feel when she learned that Anne-Laure was her roommate. After all, she'd heard the whispers in the hallway.
Other students avoided Anne-Laure because she talked too much, had weird habits and revealed way too much personal information. The last thing Emi ever wanted to hear was about Anne-Laure’s weak stomach or sex life. One evening, Emi tossed on a hoodie and some sweatpants and hurried out of her dorm room before Anne-Laure could protest. It felt good to get away from Anne-Laure’s constant chatter. The further Emi walked down the hallway, the louder and louder the music grew. Moments later, she heard running footsteps and loud laughter coming from behind her. She turned to see what was happening, and as she noticed the two girls playing an immature game of catch, and suddenly she collided with someone. Losing her balance, she yelped, but felt someone’s hand wrap around her arm. “Whoa…” Emi looked at the person she’d collided with. A guy with the lightest grey eyes she’d ever seen. They were almost unbelievable. “Désolé.” She was prepared to just hurry away, but the guy stopped her. “C’est bon. Je suis Antoine.” Emi smiled. “Emilia,” she said. “Enchanté.” She was about to leave but Antoine called her back, inviting her to the party just beyond the door where he was standing. Emi hesitated, not sure if it was a good idea. For one, she’d never gone to a college party. On TV they seemed like bad news. But… she’d never know unless she tried, would she. “Okay,” she said in practiced French. “I’ll come in, but not for long.” |
Emilia at a glanceNames: Emilia Paris van Loon Archives
April 2017
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