#54.7 Mun Prompt "Cinderfuckinrella"
How important is love to your muse? Are they the type of person who uses and abuses only to cast others away like toys when they are tired of them? Are they looking for their soulmate in life, or have they already found them? It's your turn to talk about love.
Firstly, one of the reasons that I've chosen this particular prompt, is because anyone reading Vivian's prompts is understandably not going to know what the hell is going on with her. I have been roleplaying Vivian for nearly four years, and for that period have kept her on a real time linear journey, regardless of community changes. As you can imagine, four years of pan fandom roleplay is a long time and she has inevitably come a long way from canon. Her initial canon incidentally was from the beginning of the movie Pretty Woman (there was no Richard Gere millionaire to sweep her off her feet in Vivian's storyline) and as such she was a nineteen year old hooker working Hollywood Boulevard with her best friend and roomie Kit de Luca. Given, that she is new to 'writers muses', this is the perfect opportunity to provide some backstory, both pre-canon improvisations and post-canon events.
Vivian, from the very beginning was a romantic, albeit a cynical one. As a young girl, she would dream of a gallant knight with flying colours saving her from her 'tower'. Her childhood was not a happy one for the most part, her father disappeared when she was only five, after years of her mother being abused and she was raised as an only child by her mother. Vivian's mother frequently fell into bouts of depression and alcoholism, during the worst of these periods Vivian was sent to stay with her grandmother. Her happiest times were spent with her grandmother, the only parental figure who offered any kind of stability or nurturing. A recurring theme throughout her childhood, was the 'creation' of a new family unit however. Several times over Vivian's mother would embark on a new relationship, convinced each time that this was 'the one', and would want Vivian back in her life. Her intolerance of Vivian and her drinking would dissipate, and for a while everything would be wonderful.
If it is simultaneously possible to both believe in and dream of true love, yet in the same breath have no belief whatsoever that it would happen to a 'girl like her'? Then this was Vivian. Rejection and abandonment were emotions she had dealt with repeatedly, and perhaps more understandably than her mother, welcomed with immense optimism the introduction of a new love interest.
She spent much of her late teens choosing 'bums' for boyfriends, perhaps constantly recreating the choices made by her mother, or too easily being wooed by sweet talk. A childhood spent viewing the 'euphoric' effects that 'love' can have, instilled a belief that love is the answer to all your woes. The trick is to maintain it, and not let it slip through your fingers like her mother consistently did. This intrinsic belief in Vivian's philosophy, left her desperate for love and fiercely loyal and equally grateful to anyone that might offer it. Always expecting abuse or, even worse, rejection to be waiting just around the corner if she were to slip up.
At sixteen, her mother's latest love interest, took to satiating his needs with Vivian. This was a major turning point in Vivian's life, she was no fool. It is here, that we see Vivian embark on her 'canon' lifetime. Determined to both prove to her mother that she makes 'good' choices, and to escape the increasingly inappropriate attentions of her current 'stepfather', Vivian leaves home as soon as an opportunity presents itself, which comes in the form of a boyfriend seven years her senior, and heads to Hollywood with him. The relationship is predictably short lived, ending in physical abuse, despite her constant efforts to placate him and absolute loyalty. Enough is enough, and Vivian emerges a year later, fiercely independent with a strong desire to prove to everyone that she can make it alone.
Enter Kit de Luca, a street prostitute who Vivian met some months back through her boyfriend. She offers Vivian an offer she can't refuse, bunking down in her apartment until she can sort herself out. From here, contrary to her initial reluctance and desire to get a 'proper job', Vivian is convinced that working as a hooker is the only quick route out of there. It was never intended to be permanent, only til she had earned enough to get her own place and pay for a college course.
This never happened for Vivian in my roleplay verse. Vivian is still searching for that 'euphoria' she witnessed so frequently as a child, and given her job, finds it increasingly difficult to maintain her vibrant optimism that love or success will ever happen. Vivian still believes in true love so much, that she does not allow her clients to kiss her on the lips. These kisses are too personal and the romance of a kiss is something that Vivian vehemently refuses to enter into unless it is for love. Kit offers her a little 'pick me-up', at first Vivian staunchly refuses, she knows that nothing good would come of it. One depressed drunken taste later though and Vivian spirals rapidly into complete heroin dependence.
At this point in her life Vivian meets Top Dollar (lick_of_flame). A client that offers big bucks like she's never seen before. He stuffs dizzying amounts of money into her hands in return for her being herself; unguarded and without her whore's tricks, and more poignantly to Vivian her 'no kissing rule'. This enables him to seduce her, a cruel game that he plays with her to ultimately control and own her. Top saw in her, the vulnerable girl who fronted herself with a sarcastic hard armour, and slowly but surely sets about stripping it away. It was certainly not moonlight and roses, although these were used to great effect, to soften the blow of his unorthodox violent tastes.
As previously explored, Vivian was "desperate for love and fiercely loyal and equally grateful to anyone that might offer it. Always expecting abuse or, even worse, rejection to be waiting just around the corner if she were to slip up." Rejection, of the two pitfalls was by far her greater fear.
From here, her marriage to Top Dollar might appear to be straightforward. Without going into detail as to plot intricacies, Vivian is offered the position of 'personal companion' to Top. With it come the trappings of 'the high life', the one thing that along with love Vivian has craved. A ferrari and a designer wardrobe later, Vivian accepts anything that Top should deem appropriate to give her. Including ultimately, the belief that she is worthless.
Ironically, it is now that Vivian meets the man that will change her life. Blade. A man, who despite the obstacles and their initial clash, falls unwittingly in love with Vivian and she him. He attempts to bully Vivian into finding herself again and escaping Top's tyrannical ownership of her. Scared of the repercussions of escape, and decidedly downtrodden in her self belief by Top despite Blade's protestations, Vivian's answer is to end her life. In a dramatic climax where Blade takes matters into his own hands, Vivian is shot in the spine, Top is shot in the leg, and Blade emerges the 'white knight'.
If it weren't for the phenomenal impact on Vivian's outlook and self rediscovery that Blade's love had on her, then she would never have recovered from being the broken woman Top had so successfully made of her. He helped her through physio to regain the use of her legs and weaned her off heroin. Through it all though, Vivian never saw her relationship with Blade as love. It was. But without any stable upbringing and insight into what love really meant, Vivian saw Blade as a lover, but not 'love'. He made her strong, but without any reference to this kind of nurturing relationship aside from her grandmother, Vivian saw it as platonic, with sex thrown in as an aside for Blade's benefit as payment.
The relationship with Blade, brought about the introduction of the worst predator she would ever face. Deacon Frost, La Magra, Vampire God, Blade's arch nemesis. Motivated by nothing more than 'fucking with' Blade's whore, Frost bit her and infected her with vampirism, vindictively leaving her conscience in tact. Vivian's strength of character was perhaps displayed at this juncture more than ever, as she refused to feed. At the brink of hunger and desperation, Top tracks her down and returns her to where she belongs in his mind. He makes the ultimate sacrifice in her eyes and slashes his own arm to enable her to feed from a willing donor, before he goes to great lengths to obtain a cure. He treats her like a prized pet, restoring her health and pampering her until she regains her strength. No longer does he abuse her and the deal of 'love' is sealed for her.
After their marriage his brutal murder of her ex-client turned rapist and his friends and family, further illustrate to Vivian that no matter how much she morally disagrees with his actions, he will do anything for her. She discovers, that she can put aside anything if the reward is such undying commitment. Vivian had found 'love'.
So there it is, in a not so compact nutshell. Vivian's twisted and tragic view of love.
And to bring anyone (who has persevered thus far) completely up to date, she is currently suffering from trauma induced amnesia and does not know who she is married to after events helpfully listed in this plot summary.
Muse: Vivian Ward
Fandom: Pretty Woman
Word Count: 1652
Firstly, one of the reasons that I've chosen this particular prompt, is because anyone reading Vivian's prompts is understandably not going to know what the hell is going on with her. I have been roleplaying Vivian for nearly four years, and for that period have kept her on a real time linear journey, regardless of community changes. As you can imagine, four years of pan fandom roleplay is a long time and she has inevitably come a long way from canon. Her initial canon incidentally was from the beginning of the movie Pretty Woman (there was no Richard Gere millionaire to sweep her off her feet in Vivian's storyline) and as such she was a nineteen year old hooker working Hollywood Boulevard with her best friend and roomie Kit de Luca. Given, that she is new to 'writers muses', this is the perfect opportunity to provide some backstory, both pre-canon improvisations and post-canon events.
Vivian, from the very beginning was a romantic, albeit a cynical one. As a young girl, she would dream of a gallant knight with flying colours saving her from her 'tower'. Her childhood was not a happy one for the most part, her father disappeared when she was only five, after years of her mother being abused and she was raised as an only child by her mother. Vivian's mother frequently fell into bouts of depression and alcoholism, during the worst of these periods Vivian was sent to stay with her grandmother. Her happiest times were spent with her grandmother, the only parental figure who offered any kind of stability or nurturing. A recurring theme throughout her childhood, was the 'creation' of a new family unit however. Several times over Vivian's mother would embark on a new relationship, convinced each time that this was 'the one', and would want Vivian back in her life. Her intolerance of Vivian and her drinking would dissipate, and for a while everything would be wonderful.
If it is simultaneously possible to both believe in and dream of true love, yet in the same breath have no belief whatsoever that it would happen to a 'girl like her'? Then this was Vivian. Rejection and abandonment were emotions she had dealt with repeatedly, and perhaps more understandably than her mother, welcomed with immense optimism the introduction of a new love interest.
She spent much of her late teens choosing 'bums' for boyfriends, perhaps constantly recreating the choices made by her mother, or too easily being wooed by sweet talk. A childhood spent viewing the 'euphoric' effects that 'love' can have, instilled a belief that love is the answer to all your woes. The trick is to maintain it, and not let it slip through your fingers like her mother consistently did. This intrinsic belief in Vivian's philosophy, left her desperate for love and fiercely loyal and equally grateful to anyone that might offer it. Always expecting abuse or, even worse, rejection to be waiting just around the corner if she were to slip up.
At sixteen, her mother's latest love interest, took to satiating his needs with Vivian. This was a major turning point in Vivian's life, she was no fool. It is here, that we see Vivian embark on her 'canon' lifetime. Determined to both prove to her mother that she makes 'good' choices, and to escape the increasingly inappropriate attentions of her current 'stepfather', Vivian leaves home as soon as an opportunity presents itself, which comes in the form of a boyfriend seven years her senior, and heads to Hollywood with him. The relationship is predictably short lived, ending in physical abuse, despite her constant efforts to placate him and absolute loyalty. Enough is enough, and Vivian emerges a year later, fiercely independent with a strong desire to prove to everyone that she can make it alone.
Enter Kit de Luca, a street prostitute who Vivian met some months back through her boyfriend. She offers Vivian an offer she can't refuse, bunking down in her apartment until she can sort herself out. From here, contrary to her initial reluctance and desire to get a 'proper job', Vivian is convinced that working as a hooker is the only quick route out of there. It was never intended to be permanent, only til she had earned enough to get her own place and pay for a college course.
This never happened for Vivian in my roleplay verse. Vivian is still searching for that 'euphoria' she witnessed so frequently as a child, and given her job, finds it increasingly difficult to maintain her vibrant optimism that love or success will ever happen. Vivian still believes in true love so much, that she does not allow her clients to kiss her on the lips. These kisses are too personal and the romance of a kiss is something that Vivian vehemently refuses to enter into unless it is for love. Kit offers her a little 'pick me-up', at first Vivian staunchly refuses, she knows that nothing good would come of it. One depressed drunken taste later though and Vivian spirals rapidly into complete heroin dependence.
At this point in her life Vivian meets Top Dollar (lick_of_flame). A client that offers big bucks like she's never seen before. He stuffs dizzying amounts of money into her hands in return for her being herself; unguarded and without her whore's tricks, and more poignantly to Vivian her 'no kissing rule'. This enables him to seduce her, a cruel game that he plays with her to ultimately control and own her. Top saw in her, the vulnerable girl who fronted herself with a sarcastic hard armour, and slowly but surely sets about stripping it away. It was certainly not moonlight and roses, although these were used to great effect, to soften the blow of his unorthodox violent tastes.
As previously explored, Vivian was "desperate for love and fiercely loyal and equally grateful to anyone that might offer it. Always expecting abuse or, even worse, rejection to be waiting just around the corner if she were to slip up." Rejection, of the two pitfalls was by far her greater fear.
From here, her marriage to Top Dollar might appear to be straightforward. Without going into detail as to plot intricacies, Vivian is offered the position of 'personal companion' to Top. With it come the trappings of 'the high life', the one thing that along with love Vivian has craved. A ferrari and a designer wardrobe later, Vivian accepts anything that Top should deem appropriate to give her. Including ultimately, the belief that she is worthless.
Ironically, it is now that Vivian meets the man that will change her life. Blade. A man, who despite the obstacles and their initial clash, falls unwittingly in love with Vivian and she him. He attempts to bully Vivian into finding herself again and escaping Top's tyrannical ownership of her. Scared of the repercussions of escape, and decidedly downtrodden in her self belief by Top despite Blade's protestations, Vivian's answer is to end her life. In a dramatic climax where Blade takes matters into his own hands, Vivian is shot in the spine, Top is shot in the leg, and Blade emerges the 'white knight'.
If it weren't for the phenomenal impact on Vivian's outlook and self rediscovery that Blade's love had on her, then she would never have recovered from being the broken woman Top had so successfully made of her. He helped her through physio to regain the use of her legs and weaned her off heroin. Through it all though, Vivian never saw her relationship with Blade as love. It was. But without any stable upbringing and insight into what love really meant, Vivian saw Blade as a lover, but not 'love'. He made her strong, but without any reference to this kind of nurturing relationship aside from her grandmother, Vivian saw it as platonic, with sex thrown in as an aside for Blade's benefit as payment.
The relationship with Blade, brought about the introduction of the worst predator she would ever face. Deacon Frost, La Magra, Vampire God, Blade's arch nemesis. Motivated by nothing more than 'fucking with' Blade's whore, Frost bit her and infected her with vampirism, vindictively leaving her conscience in tact. Vivian's strength of character was perhaps displayed at this juncture more than ever, as she refused to feed. At the brink of hunger and desperation, Top tracks her down and returns her to where she belongs in his mind. He makes the ultimate sacrifice in her eyes and slashes his own arm to enable her to feed from a willing donor, before he goes to great lengths to obtain a cure. He treats her like a prized pet, restoring her health and pampering her until she regains her strength. No longer does he abuse her and the deal of 'love' is sealed for her.
After their marriage his brutal murder of her ex-client turned rapist and his friends and family, further illustrate to Vivian that no matter how much she morally disagrees with his actions, he will do anything for her. She discovers, that she can put aside anything if the reward is such undying commitment. Vivian had found 'love'.
So there it is, in a not so compact nutshell. Vivian's twisted and tragic view of love.
And to bring anyone (who has persevered thus far) completely up to date, she is currently suffering from trauma induced amnesia and does not know who she is married to after events helpfully listed in this plot summary.
Muse: Vivian Ward
Fandom: Pretty Woman
Word Count: 1652