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I got sick and tired of not finding muse pages that work how I want them to so this exists for now. There's no set structure to how I write any of these character bios/briefs/descriptions + what I include in them and I am sorry. But these are all... very long. If you have questions, feel free to ask. Not spoiler-free.Still wip! Be mindful of character and canon divergencies.
SURVIVORS
Tracy Reznik
I don't care that everybody knows
I'm a million dollars in the hole!
I know that I need the gold.
But what I love can't be bought or sold.(Gold - Marina)
Qi Shiyi
Like a black sorrow - a story of such woe!
At the end of this story,
there is only a cold spot stained with blood and empty air.(Black Sorrow - VIVINOS & Park Byeong Hoon)
Lily Barriere
Isn't it lovely, all alone?
Heart made of glass,
my mind of stone.
Tear me to pieces, skin to bone:
"Hello, welcome home."(Lovely - Billie Eilish & Khalid)
Vera Nair
It's way too late!
You won't be saved.
All that you are is a tragedy.
(No way to save the little girl that I used to be.)(I Do What I Want - KIRA & Miku)
Ada Mesmer
All my life is on me now.
Hail the pages turning!
And the future's on the bound;
Hell don't know my fury.(On the Bound - Fiona Apple)
Nadia Royden
under construction.
HUNTERS
Michiko
What can "night" for you mean when fallen seas of tears are gone?
Crying days in the eternal -
give me what I saw in you.
(Oh, what an end to stop it all!)(Into the Night - Yoasobi)
MISC (AU BASED MUSES)
KROTO
Where are the hopes?
Where are the dreams?
My Cinderella story scene?
When do you think they'll finally see?(The Best Damn Thing - Avril Lavigne)
Bella
Was I too proud with you?
Was I too cold and forbidding?
And you chose her over me?
Are you kidding?(Someone Gets Hurt - Taylor Louderman // Mean Girls Musical)
Kroto
age: 22
gender: Female
sexuality: Pansexual, male lean.
occupation: (Supporting) Stage Actress // Leading Actress Understudy
availability: medium to low activity, medium to high selectivity.
You taste the silver, Kroto! You taste the crown.
You thirst for blood from the roses in hand.
You spoil for sash and scepter, music to dance as they crown you Queen of Golden Rose Land.(The Ballad of Sara Berry - Lindsay Mendez // 35MM)
under construction, low priority to write.!! Disclaimer:
My Kroto characterization will be extremely divergent to the assumed canon. Along with that, the Golden Rose verse/plot Kroto follows will have divergence from its loose "canon", along with certain relationships with characters in it. Please proceed in reading while keeping this in mind, but if you have a Ronald muse especially then we 100% need to talk about their dynamic together. Their relationship is kinda vital to her main canon that she follows here, as he is very much an enabler to her behavior. But, this is all circumstantial and not a requirement, and things need to be plotted and discussed no matter what.Personality:
Kroto desperately clings to the shine of the spotlight as she tries to emerge from the shadows and discard her current position of being a second priority. While not exactly superficial or fake in having a more reserved exterior, she does harbor intense malice deep in her heart for getting sidelined as long as she has. An upsurge of envy has grown deep within Kroto, and frankly, has only worsened when Madame Bella took the spot of the leading actress in their theater. Kroto works hard and still gives her all despite her increasing frustrations with the circumstances of being Bella's understudy but it only makes the bitterness more potent in her. She wants the recognition she deserves - though, she does acknowledge that being the lead for Cast B is very much recognition in its own right. Regardless, she stands firm on the stance that there should have never been two cast options in the first place, remembering how their director, Scrooge, promised her the position with the fall of the former lead, Lachesis. That accomplishment is bittersweet as Kroto feels as if she is so close yet so far from her desires: fame, status, and most importantly... what Bella has.Kroto is not cutthroat in a verbal or temperamental sense, however, the actress will acquire a taste for underhanded methods to get what she wants by sabotaging Bella little by little behind those doe eyes. She's had to help keep a death in the theater shrouded in mystery before! But this time around... she will be working toward inciting one to claim what she truly deserves. This silent yet deadly disposition will only come out when surrounded by those who are like her - those who she knows will understand or already have some wickedness in their own heart. It takes one wicked person to know another wicked person, and she knows how to keep her resentment in check.Background:
Bella
age: 25
gender: Female
sexuality: Pansexual, no lean.
occupation: (Leading) Stage Actress
availability: low activity, semi-selective.
In the night, she walked unsteadily while grieving.
She understood that there was no salvation.
It seems like she’s reached enlightenment.
It’s like a fairy tale.
After all, the audience is having fun! How noisy.(Kilmer - Niru Kajitsu & ∴flower)
under construction, low priority to write.Personality:
Pompous, arrogant, and temperamental are traits that only scratch the surface when it comes to Bella. She is proud of her talents, and makes no attempt to conceal it under a humbled and modest guise. What may be seen as sycophantic in holding relations to powerful people to others is really a means of her maintaining stability and relevancy. While talent does not fade so easily, beauty very well might, and she is well aware of this fact and how it may be the downfall of her fruitful career. So, she does her best to bask in the limelight while she has it. She is a serious performer who would die for her craft despite having a primadonna attitude at times. But, perhaps the endless praise she's gotten over the years has gotten to her head. When her best in Golden Rose theater isn't good enough, her entire worldview shakes and begins to shatter at the foundation. Never once has she had this level of stress and pressure on her, and its beginning to take its toll on her being to be "off her game", acting abrasively and stubbornly toward others far more than prior. She resorts to contraband in attempt to to liven her performances and be more worthwhile - but it simply was not enough. Having felt that no one understood her and her efforts, the inner turmoil began to skyrocket as that figurative crown of hers was cracking right before her very eyes.Background:
Tracy Reznik
age: 21
gender: Female
sexuality: Pansexual, no lean.
occupation // title: Mechanic
availability: high activity, semi-selective.
Hungry critics are just glancing at me sideways!
Isn't that asking too much?
Trying to 'make the impossible possible?'
I can't let the magic fade and abandon my heart!(Jitterbug - Nanashi-P + There's Supposed to be a Cheat Code for Happiness - Utata-P)
Appearance:Tracy stands at 5’1” and 115 lbs. Her skin is relatively pale, especially accented by her emerald green eyes and short, light blonde hair. While she doesn’t wear any sort of makeup traditionally, she’s got a bit of a pouty resting face and naturally curled eyelashes. The mechanic is quite skinny, with no real muscle to show for it. She wears a faded orange jumpsuit which is cuffed just above the knee and above her elbows. In the pocket that resides on the thigh area of her right leg, she carries a wrench. The belt she wears around her waist serves no true purpose other than as an accessory, but more prominently a means of keeping a clean rag secure and on her person. Underneath the jumpsuit (which is visible and why I’m bringing it up) she wears a light grey turtleneck shirt. Two goggles are adorned by Tracy, one slinging around the collar of her jumpsuit, the other lying atop the greenish brown leather (?) hat on her head. Additionally, she wears brown, lace up boots alongside brown, fingerless gloves.Personality:Tracy holds quite a bit of spunk and proves to be very energetic when doing or talking about things she loves. Passion flows through her inventions and she can be seen happily humming as she’s in the middle of her handiwork. Hardworking and dedicated to a freakish extent, once committed to working on a pet project or her latest idea, she will see it through to the point where she’s locked up in her room for hours on end. Old habits die hard and her hyperfocused attention on these things will lend toward bad habits of forgetfulness (or outright avoidance) when it comes to things like sleeping or eating properly. It would be beneficial for others to tell her to slow down and not desperately chase the adrenaline of creating the newest, most groundbreaking thing that will trump the last.Despite her pep to talk about her passions and interests, she is a tad bit of a social recluse, having self confined herself indoors most of her life while she worked on that day’s pet project. She won’t exactly shy away from others who attempt to talk to her, but her words may be clumsy as she hasn’t really had any friends or peers. Any attention on her that isn’t praise of her works or engaging talk of her interests might lead to her clamming up a little until a friendship is born. That is, unless you intentionally rile her up, make her angry, or do anything distasteful. In that case, she will definitely have a word or two. In defense of things she loves or simply things she wants to protect, she is stubborn, loud, and hardheaded.Apprehension and fear are things that do have a tendency to creep up on her and overtake her psyche in stressful situations. It may lend to her being outright paralyzed in her nerves. She’s somewhat of a scaredy-cat and easily startled, but really, how can she be expected to be anything else with how sheltered she’d been prior? It’s important to note how with the yin and yang elements of her personality work, this does not apply to loud noises of results of refining, fixing, or creating machinery and inventions.Tracy considers herself a sort of outlier to the normal person, but still would go ahead and label herself as something akin to “simple”. The mechanic has a very complicated relationship with femininity due to this, not meeting the status quo of being ladylike making her self-conscious at times, however still not wanting to conform to those ideals as she thinks it simply does not suit her. She views this in a very black-and-white spectrum; yet another result of her overthinking and harsh criticism of herself. Psyching herself out is often a reason why she doesn’t engage or try new things of that nature that may have even a brief flicker of interest in the back of her mind. She doesn’t really care what other people think about her particularly, and yet, she cares a whole lot about how she feels and views herself. She has nothing to prove to others but the world and then some to prove to herself.At the end of the day, Tracy means well, and cares a lot about her peers in her own way. They’re now the closest things that she has to friends and family, aside from her doll, and to have that come apart at the seams would make her very upset. She just needs her own space to become comfortable with those around her at her own pace. Needless to say, she’s also looking out for others who may seem more starkly uncomfortable and unadjusted in these strange circumstances of the manor, reaching her hand out and even making the first approach if she feels like they could use a comforting word– an offer of friendship and solidarity.Backstory:At a very young age, Tracy had begun to take interest in her father’s work in dealing with clocks as he brought her along to the humble family shop the Rezniks owned. With curiosity sparked genius, having found firsthand experience disassembling and reassembling clocks that had been sent in to be fixed was nothing more than child’s play for the young blonde. Her father sang high praise of Tracy’s intellect and wished to cultivate this blossoming talent that she shared with him. He seeks out a new side passion project to work on with his beloved daughter: the creation of a functional, life-sized robot. One that Tracy’s little palm-sized creations would pale in comparison to. Naturally, this took quite a bit of time to finish, but the robot was created. Though, that’s not to say it couldn’t be improved upon. Nonetheless, news spread quickly of this innovative creation and led to more patrons coming to the Reznik shop for business. Having seen firsthand the fruit of Tracy’s success, her father allows her to take on more responsibility in helping him fix and create clocks. Innovation in tow, she even managed to create a mechanism that improved the clocks as a whole.But as popularity came to rise, so did the scorn of competitors and certain benefactors. The shop is set ablaze by an unknown party, but surely, it was no accident. Tracy ends up as the lone remnant of the Reznik family, and uses the bountiful inheritance left to her to restore the shop as best as she could and take up work that entailed more than just clock restoration and creation as her inspiration bloomed. She creates all sorts of mini gadgets and things alike, but ultimately, her priority was to continue working on the robot that she and her father made as a sorrowful ode in his passing. Business picked up with the shop’s restoration. One day, Tracy is approached in the shop by a man telling her that her father had a debt he never repaid in his clock mechanism ventures (as he gambled with Tracy creating something better, though an act of greed led to him never paying back the money) and to pay what was owed immediately. But that wasn’t all- for the extended troubles and her father’s misdoings, the man essentially blackmails her into also taking on detailed invention endeavors with short deadlines alongside paying the debt. Not wanting the man to sully her father’s and her family name, she accepts.At first, she took his conditions on as a challenge and completed the specifications of the inventions with ease. But the expectations grew increasingly more difficult and irrational as time passed - Tracy began working nonstop and increasingly faced burn out. It became clear as day that the man wished to ruin her and her family’s success. The man, of high status, begins to start rumors of her genius slipping and her newest works becoming useless and childish, even if they are following what he requested of her. Eventually, the inheritance money she’d been generously playing with to make these ridiculous contraptions for ran dry. She demands that the man provides her funds to continue from then, and he agrees. But it all falls down on her as he uses that very condition against her, calling her a waste of money and now able to hold this mass of debt over her head. Tracy, now in financial ruin, is forced to shut down the Reznik shop. It isn’t long after that she receives a mysterious invitation detailing a golden prize should she choose to come. With quite literally nothing else to lose, nor anything that is tying her down, she accepts and ventures out to the manor.
Chloe Vera Nair
age: 27
gender: Female
sexuality: Pansexual, no lean.
occupation // title: Perfumer
availability: medium to low activity, semi-selective.
In the valley of the dolls, we sleep – I've got a hole inside of me.
Living with identities that do not belong to me.
In my life, I got this far.
Now I'm ready for the last hoorah.(Valley of the Dolls - Marina)
WARNING:Chloe is extremely, extremely teetering on the edge of, if not already blatantly, on the scale of suicidal idealization. She is an extremely depressive muse at the core and it will take a lot of work to get her to value herself and get over her own grief. Things can and probably will get heavy if the situation calls for it, but I won't just randomly drop anything too severe on anyone in the middle of a thread. But know that this is her true nature and the only thing that is keeping her going is the fact that her sister wouldn't want her to end her life like that, and thus, her alternative is perfecting Euphoria so she can at least try to forget. That's not to say she doesn't spiral though. This behavior and mindset will be most prominent in ask responses where its personal questions that are anonymous unless otherwise plotted or given permission to go so dark in threads.Backstory:Chloe Nair lived in a society (ha ha) where even at a young age, she was judged and scrutinized for every little step that she took. Compared to her identical twin sister, Vera, it seemed like the world was against her and the one passion: dabbling in perfumery and concocting different fragrances. Just about everyone she came into contact with found her interest abnormal which of course made her attempt at pioneering something great all the more demoralizing, and yet, the criticism wouldn’t end there. As she was not as outgoing and charismatic as Vera was, Chloe found that she was constantly living in the shadows of her sister’s footsteps and being compared to her. One would think that this would be more than ample reason to cast her own ire toward the family’s and Grasse’s favorite daughter of the two, but that couldn’t be further from the case. Vera was loved by Chloe and the bond that they shared was a special one. It is for that reason in particular that when Vera opens up a perfume shop with the recipes Chloe had made in an attempt to garner the attention Chloe rightfully deserved, Chloe immediately assumes the worst and feels all the more portrayed by the one person in the world who had taken her side. In an act of blind despair and rage, Chloe kills her sister and assumes the identity of ‘Vera’, feeling no remorse for a brief moment as she felt that her actions were justified. Only upon finding Vera’s diary entry about her good intentions (not wanting to talk to Chloe about her actions first, as she would be too proud to accept such a claim to fame, seemingly), Chloe begins to immediately fall into a fit of despair realizing the true depth and consequences of her actions.Every day seemed to be a waking nightmare for the newly turned ‘Vera’ from then on. She’s engulfed with the shadow of her sister that seems to be grabbing her by the throat and dragging her down as she still continues to carry on in the figurative shoes of someone she never was. Personable. Graceful. Adored. Beautiful. Struck with depression, existential crises, extreme guilt, and even suicidal thoughts, ‘Vera’ could no longer cope with these things normally under the surface. Truly, the only thing that stood between her and an actual attempt at joining her sister 6 feet under was that Vera ultimately thought she should proceed forward to maintain her image and force herself to carry the burden of her actions… mostly. The guilt is still suffocating and due to this, Vera takes to concocting Euphoria, a perfume with memory-altering qualities to forget and wash herself of the blood stained on her hands. To truly become Vera Nair and live on in a manner that wouldn’t ever compromise her reputation… wouldn’t this become a necessity? Still, she feigns all her issues and continues on with the fake identity, everyone none the wiser and regarding her positively, working hard to perfect Euphoria as the forgetting of memories is only a temporary ordeal. The recipe was incomplete; a herb would be needed to finish it. It’s amidst the tug-of-war in her identity crisis, yet bustling fame of fragrance-related and makeup-related endeavors that she receives a curious invitation to Oletus Manor. Hoping to find the fated herb to finish the recipe to Euphoria, she accepts the invitation.
Ada Mesmer
age: 30
gender: Female
sexuality: Pansexual, no lean.
occupation // title: Psychologist
availability: medium to high activity, semi-selective.
Using words alone won't bear any fruit,
but undoubtedly, they'll be said anyways.
Don't interfere – don't just prattle on.
All those conspicuously hateful things, shall we make them disappear?(Killer Queen - Ayase)
under construction.Personality:
Ada Mesmer has and always will be a benevolent person at her core. A very forward thinker, swept up by the mindset of the end justifying the means. That, however, doesn’t mean she won’t take into consideration the wake of the “process” and what will retroactively occur due to this. A woman of many facets - a woman who was forced to grow up rather quickly due to the pile of expectations laid before her while not truly being able to enjoy her youth the conventional way girls her age would have at the time. This factoid of her life is originally something she would have taken in stride by her hardworking spirit and fiery passion to be something more than the societal reputations set before her, yet she still finds herself lending to some childish desires and tendencies. There is a silent yearning at times, even, to be able to live such a conventional and mundane way compared to how she ended up. This is not something she finds shameful, simply speaking, but is more of the other side of Ada Mesmer when stressors aren’t coming into play and her defenses are down, allowing another piece of Ada’s true self to shine. Sometimes she quips or teases, but by no means is this her default on how she normally tries to convey herself. But mostly, she is someone who so desperately craves control over the factors of her life she deems “right”, and when it seems like it is in reach or quickly falling out of her hands like sand slipping through the cracks of her fingers, will she vye harder for it and begin to act with an ample amount of calculation and impulse. Similarly, when she is on the breakthrough of something greater she will begin to act more emotionally. When she is in the right mindspace and evaluating the right plan for others, will she be able to deduct things out more rationally. Truly, someone who is a victim of her own extreme empathy for others, masking her own stress with a smile while regulating and pushing it down in rapidfire speeds when in the presence of others. As the “Psychologist” she must be of sound mind and continue to be a figurehead of regulated mentality, otherwise, how hypocritical would she be to parrot advice she could not follow? But it is not something she likes to dwell on too hard, preferring to think productively and how to tackle things on her growing to-do list of issues and tasks.
Cordelia Molyneux
Nadia Royden
age: 24
gender: Female
sexuality: Pansexual, no lean.
occupation // title: Traveling Saleswoman
availability: medium to low activity, minimal to semi-selective.
e.
under construction.Brief Background:
Cordelia hails from a family which had once been nobility but has since fallen out of both grace and power. Her parents tried to regain their power and status through her and hoped that she could marry back into nobility. That could only mean sifting through social gatherings and keeping up a good reputation and she hated that! She was very close to accomplishing this goal until she realized she valued her freedom more than the wants of her family and so she fled the country, taking under a new name and adopting this saleswoman trade in hopes of creating a new identity and life for herself.Deductions (WIP)Silver Tongue
Jack of All Trades
Proposal
Who Are You Really?Abilities // Buffs & Debuffs:Commerce: At the start of the game, The Traveling Saleswoman has all the items a chest can hold in stock by three. However, three different items (there will be no duplicates of one specific item in a wave) will be randomized and put for sale. Survivors can come to The Traveling Saleswoman to buy a brand new item, and the items The Traveling Saleswoman has for sale will refresh in waves. The Traveling Saleswoman can consume her own wares, as well.Equivalent Exchange: One's garbage is another's treasure. Survivors can trade out an item they have for something that The Traveling Saleswoman has in stock. Though, if the item the survivor is discarding has been consumed for a certain duration and chooses another item that is time sensitive, the item they receive will be consumed the same amount/used for the same amount of time. (A rugby ball consumed 50% can be swapped out for a syringe that is 50% consumed.)For a Profit: The Traveling Saleswoman dislikes having potential competition for her wares and prefers that others consume her products instead. The number of chests around the map is decreased down to 5.Packmule: Carrying so much inventory on hand weighs down The Traveling Saleswoman. Obstacle vaulting speed is decreased by 15%.
Michiko
age: ???
gender: Female
sexuality: Pansexual, no lean.
occupation // title: Geisha
availability: medium to low activity, semi-selective.
I stand here in silence and make you wait for me to come back.
Come with me as I swim into the pale, pale darkness.
It’s crumbling away; even the view I saw once is losing its color.
Hey, are you still there?(Quiet Room - Yoh Kamiyama)
under construction, low priority to write.
Qi Shiyi
age: 25
gender: Female
sexuality: Pansexual, female lean.
occupation // title: Antiquarian
availability: high activity, semi-selective.
The moon will never disappear no matter what-
Even if clouds gather and the tears of rain fall down.
Ah, someday… when the weather is clear...
I will float with the stars and protect you.(Setsugetsuka - Uta no Prince Sama Cast)
Appearance:Upon first glance, one would notice that Shiyi stands slightly above average height, 5”7’ without including her black Mary Janes. She has fair skin, with a mole on the bridge of her nose and two moles on the left side of her neck. Her neutral resting face doesn’t look all that friendly, this impression is only heightened due to her more sharp features such as her jawline, eyebrows, and piercing, deep-set brown eyes. She does nothing to amend any misinterpreted impressions due to her looks, resorting to her usual straight-faced expression that can be misconstrued as an outright frown on painted red lips. Strict appearing at a minimum - perhaps even intimidating looking depending on who you ask. Refined, yet cutthroat.Despite this, she still takes care to make sure she is well-kempt and tidy at all times when possible - one of the few habits left from her former life that has continued to stick with her. Silky black hair that falls just below her chest has a portion of locks half pulled into a ponytail while the remainder stays down. Bangs that fall just above her eyebrows sweep upwards and to the left. The silver bobby pins at each side of her head, a flower hair clip that keeps her ponytail in place, and the dangling pearl earrings Shiyi adorns are all accessories that have been passed down from her mother.Keeping in line with this proper outlook, the Antiquarian wears a traditional light blue top with a high collar, golden hemming, and bamboo embroidery. Yet another ode to the deceased Xiao family’s generational philosophies and symbols. Her black skirt is a simple one that falls below the knees, similarly sporting gray tights, which would unintentionally serve to emphasize the gifted jade pendant yùpèi that is worn proudly and lovingly on her left waist. Shiyi will also never be spotted without her rather long mechanical bamboo flute (xiāo) which is decorated with a black tassel at the bottom of it.Personality:Shiyi has been, and always will be, a strong woman of conviction. Though she wasn’t nearly as hardened to the cruelty of life when her family was still alive and well, she maintained this strong sense of moral righteousness in the expectations that fell upon the intelligent and quick on her feet Qi. Having no qualms with the traditional values of her well-off family of scholars and nobles, she was an obedient child who was much more open to embracing peace and kindness with a smile when there was nothing to worry about. To quell one's temperament and maintain a flexible disposition when circumstances of strife occurred.It was much easier said than done. Especially after all but Shiyi of the Xiao family were executed on some illogical and unreasonable explanation on behalf of the government and the Emperor. Something changed in Shiyi that day. She was filled with an unbelievable amount of grief, rage, and this fiery need to seek vengeance on the sources of those who wrong her to an incredible amount has never quite died down. Spite became a big source of motivation, so much so to the point that it drove her out to try to deal with the Emperor herself and deal out her much-wanted method of justice. Attentive and persistent in all she does, ire being cast and fueling her forward is still never an element to blind her vision, but simply a motivational tool. An eye for an eye - Shiyi begins to mandate in her mind. No longer is she going to look toward the past and play nice. When in the face of adversity, you cannot be compliant and sit back as it happens. You must stand up and fight!Though… that is not to say that renouncing her old ways of peace is something that comes without guilt at first. Shiyi does follow her newfound set of morales and mantras, but will not go out of her way to pick fights with people over trivial things either, maintaining some of her old values and eventually finding comfort that she simply… revised the Xiao mantra to be more suitable instead of denouncing it altogether. She has a strong sense of justice, but she’s not exactly a vigilante either. The Antiquarian is a strong believer in karma, and even if she’s not the one dealing out the consequence of someone’s wrongdoing, she believes it will come to the person of interest eventually.Since the fall of her family and then taking on the role of a hired killer towards those who are utterly corrupt, she has become a lot less sociable in the traditional sense and almost prefers to keep others at arm’s length. Frankly, well, it’s just what she’s gotten used to over the years of solitude. Coming off as mean is never her intention unless it is provoked or deserved, in which case she will become very aggressive, but she will not stifle her tongue and the neutrally blunt remarks that might come from her mouth. Reservation is her default in terms of company and reaching out, and it will take some poking and prodding to get her to come out of her shell that might even reveal her to be awkward when you manage to pick it apart. But if you manage to befriend Shiyi, she will treasure you to no end, even if she doesn’t find the words to articulate it. An individual at heart be damned, she will not hesitate to go out of her way to protect those who need it, especially when those who need it are people who are close to her. The importance of friends and family despite her isolation has not fallen short on her.Honor and keeping her word are also very important to her. There have been many events in the past that have felt entirely out of her control - that she was helpless and couldn’t do anything. No longer is she that incapable little girl. She is a hard worker who will not rest to get something done if she sets her mind to it. So if she promises you she will do something, you better believe she will follow through. And if by some small chance she is unable to accomplish it, she will do all that she can to make it up to you. Feeling as if she failed is… a position that Shiyi cannot stand. I do think that this also plays into the lighter note of Shiyi having a little bit of a competitive streak in her if you manage to bring out her more amiable self!Backstory - Introspection - Etc:Xiao Yao was born as the seventh daughter into the Xiao family - a family full of scholars and nobles alike which all lived in mountains and forests in the late Qing dynasty. Traditionalists at heart, with each new addition to the family, did the elders and parents alike try to bestow generations of principles, mantras, and philosophies onto them. Yao was no exception, being raised to be a proper lady who was well versed in all sorts of fields and skills. She was quick learning and quite bright, pleasing the adults of the Xiao family immensely, raising the bar on the expectations to be had with her. But most importantly, they drilled a very specific motto into her that she must always abide by. Like bamboo in the winter, one must be serene and graceful in the face of adversity. Simple enough to accomplish in such a big family full of siblings and elders, who for the most part, got along and showed respect to each other anyway. Even at a young age, Yao realized that having kindness as a virtue was integral to exhibit, fully agreeing with the ways of life being taught to her.It was only a matter of time before the comfort of family and peace alike would be stripped away from her. How naive she was to think life would be easy if she simply obeyed her parents and was studious in her teachings.Word of mouth spread quickly. A man named Xie, two members of the Xiao family, amongst other so-called collaborators, were officially declared a threat and branded as conspirators wishing to wreak havoc amongst the people and act out against the government. They say that the Emperor has even regained a past sickness due to his overwork in an effort to stop this baseless accusation. The entire Xiao family is to be sentenced to death as capital punishment, a public spectacle Yao would soon come to believe, and serve as an example to not defy the higher powers that govern. Rumor becomes an unfortunate reality, and Yao is left as the sole survivor of her bloodline by an extreme stroke of luck. A miracle, even.Practicing compassion towards others was not exclusive to other family members or other nobles, and it was that kindness that saved Yao from being ushered to her untimely death. Lin Congbin, an old servant of her family had returned to her residence after recovering from an illness with extremely good timing and readily whisked her away from impending death. But Congbin, now without a job and older, didn’t have enough money or resources to get on well enough for himself, let alone sustain both himself and Yao. They enter a period of extreme poverty, the two forced to suck up any sense of pride and dignity to chance an opportunity of survival. Everything happens so quickly for Yao that she can barely register what is happening. From a cherished child of a powerful family with support from all angles, an orphaned child who got lucky enough to escape the officials, to a beggar on the street. She wises up quickly, optimism and innocence quickly getting blown away with the wind, quietly succumbing to devoid emotions whilst unable to process all these traumatic life experiences happening back to back. Yao tells Congbin now of her plan to test her luck and kneel before the residents of several houses - to kneel and to kneel for as long as it took until someone took her in, even if it meant becoming their servant. Three days at a minimum to start with, Yao tells herself. Nothing was off the table, nor was she scared any longer. But first, she must rid herself of the Xiao name for her safety. She renames herself “Qi Shiyi”, a name far more clinical and literal, with much less love than the one bestowed upon her at birth.Congbin directs her to a distant relative he had managed to get in touch with, Lin Jingfu, who readily takes her in when he finds her kneeling on his doorstep. If only Shiyi was able to let this fortunate twist of events lead her back to some figment of normality. Unfortunately, now that her circumstances were better, it allowed her to dwell more on the execution of her family, and it allowed for her rage to fester and grow stronger. So strong that she was no longer able to repress her hatred. She must make those who issued this order on her family repent! Shiyi, along with a group of other disgruntled and wronged people, goes and attempts an assassination directly on the Emperor. Unfortunately, they were unsuccessful and ended up targeting the Emperor’s double instead. Yet again, Yao is one of two people that barely makes it out alive, but not without some injuries to show for it, along with rumor spreading that she was spotted escaping the scene.Congbin catches wind of this turbulent news and fearfully writes to Yao, pleading with her as both her prior servant and, fondly, an uncle figure, to stop trying to lead a life of vengeance and to live life peacefully as an ordinary girl. Eventually, Congbin falls victim to death as well, and Jingfu is promptly pressured to kick Shiyi out by disapproving friends and family, labeling her a “harbinger of bad luck”.Shiyi, now back to fend for herself again, decides that she will weaponize this fiery justice that she cannot quell and sharpen it like a sword. There is only so much she can do to get by, and frankly, that assassination attempt made it so potential clientele would be more willing to take up her services. Her self-proclaimed morality gets put on display despite becoming a hired killer, refusing job offers that weren’t on some twitched or corrupt individual that truly deserved facing death. She’d broken the Xiao mantra long ago. Not with her hands getting sullied with blood for the first time, no. Not even a mid-assassination attempt with the Emperor.It was when she felt the need to fight back.It was the change of her name. Even her name — Xiao Yao, a homophone to stride slowly — was an indication of their values. And she rid herself of it.It’s a flagrant disrespect to her elders and everything she once stood for. Guilt nipped at her skin with the rise of goosebumps as the voices in her head told her that she was a disgrace and a shame to the Xiao name. As the last person in the family, how could she not try to carry on and keep their traditions alive? To resort to violence like this? Not just violence, but murder!No matter how much she would criticize herself for the juxtaposition of her current goals, she would come right back to the conclusion that these traditions no longer suited her, or the world. The world isn’t so kind to be met with unconditional kindness in return. She also had to do what she needed to survive. So if it was getting rid of a couple of wealthy officials who ruined the lives of others on pay? So be it. Regardless of if denouncing and severing the tie from her family killed her inside. She had to make up for their wrongful deaths in some way or another too, even if where they rest they disagreed with her methods. Shiyi practices martial arts now that she has the opportunity, space, and time to do so. Additionally, it’s when she’s by herself does she come up with the prospect of as well as actually making her mechanical bamboo flute. It’s both an item of comfort to play, as well as something sturdy enough to use as a weapon when necessary.Once she’s ready, in under a month, there are many reports of businessmen and officials dying in the city. Eventually, she earns enough in commission to buy an antique shop, something she was both fond of and reminiscent of due to all of the valuables and heirlooms once passed onto her in her old residence, and she renames it “Bamboo Study”. From there, she stops taking on assassination jobs, and for a moment, she thinks she’s falling into a life of peace that her uncle had wished for her. A tranquil time of dealing with the occasional person or two, then playing a quiet melody to herself that was sourced from her flute.While not the storm of an official dragging her out to face capital punishment, there is a disturbance that eventually finds itself happening at the front of her store while she’s lost in her thoughts. Shiyi goes to quickly help out the woman who was standing her ground against a belligerent man. Yet, the woman doesn’t leave after the issue is solved. A conversation is to be had then. A curious one, a rather interesting twist of fate to learn that this noblewoman’s name was Tang Si, the granddaughter of Shiyi’s grandfather’s friend. The two find common ground in interests, backgrounds, and personalities then quickly become close friends. Si was just about the only thing that Shiyi had in her life in terms of company, so when her entire family dropped off the face of the earth with their respective stores closing right after, it devastated Shiyi. She started to begin thinking that she truly was cursed to bring misfortune to those she spent too much time with.Then, a mysterious letter with Si’s jade pendant arrives at her shop’s doorstep one day. It claims that they know the whereabouts of Si. Regaining hope and a sense of purpose, Shiyi announces the indefinite closure of Bamboo Study and heads off with her friend’s yùpèi to immediately seek out Si. She has lost far too many in her life that she held dear, and if she has the opportunity to prevent another life from being lost, then she would do everything in her power to make sure Si was safe and bring her back.
Lily Barriere
age: 20 (tentative)
gender: Female
sexuality: Pansexual, no lean.
occupation // title: Cheerleader
availability: medium activity, minimal to semi-selective.
Game face on hit the pose like perfect-
Smack my face on the pavement, nurses!
Stitch me up, send me back out to dance-
Dust my shorts off with my blood-stained hands.(Cheerleader - Ashnikko)
under construction.