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Yeah, I made up a bunch of characters, and I like 'em lots.
Ariana deBrioullet
(Ariana: Greek, "most pure")
Song: "Pride" by Ayumi Hamasaki
Gender: Female Age: 18 Birthdate: 8 December Height: 5'4" Weight: 115 lbs
Hobbies: watching her peacocks fight one another, causing problems in her parents' court, flying
Likes: herself, peacocks' feathers, manipulating others, flight, those who she feels are as intelligent as she
Dislikes: most other humans, live peacocks, the color orange, trumpets
Build: Though she is fairly short, Ariana is somewhat curvy. Her hips and bust are defined without being too large. She is slender without being too skinny, which perfectly suits her softer facial feature. As a princess, it would be unseemly for her muscles to be overlarge, but her body is toned from the time she spends in flight.
Hair: Her hair is straight and golden blonde, reaching just below her waist. She prefers to leave her hair down, held back by a small barrette.
Eyes: One of her most alluring features, Ariana's eyes are wide and navy blue. Their color is quite dark, but the blue sets off her blonde hair and pale skin nicely. Ariana's eyes are her most expressive feature, and she uses this to her advantage quite often in order to feign emotion. The large size and oval shape of her eyes also work to her advantage, as they make her look far more innocent than she actually is
Face: Ariana has a small, heart-shaped face, and features to match: her eyes are wide, her lips form a natural pout, and her nose is small and rounded. With these features, Ariana resembles a porcelain doll.
Skin: Though her skin is pale, it does not have an unhealthy pallor; rather, it is pale skin that has a healthy glow.
Scars: Only her father knows that Ariana has any scars. When she was a child, a small flock of rabid peacocks attacked her, and she still bears the scars today. They are small, thin marks crisscrossing her arms from her wrists up to a point near her shoulders. Ariana is careful to hide her scars beneath the long sleeves of her gowns, and they are only visible when she sleeps.
Clothing: As a princess, Ariana is always dressed in the finest clothes, and, when she was younger, often dressed in the rich golds and reds that were the height of fashion. As she grew older, though, she gradually altered her wardrobe so that all of her clothing was blue, green, and gold, and adorned with the feathers of the peacocks she hates. Though many of her mother's ladies-in-waiting believe that the way she dresses is just short of scandalous, this is not, in fact the case. Her dresses are sometimes low-cut, but they are rarely (if ever) revealing. Because of her scars, Ariana always wears dresses with long sleeves, but she owns virtually no clothing (save a nightgown or two) that covers her shoulders entirely. Most of her dresses also leave her upper back bare, not for the scandal it causes, but to provide space for her peacock-feather wings.
Powers: Ariana is an anomaly in her homeland of Thalaise, outwardly posessing no magical power. Unbeknownst to her parents, the courtiers, and everyone in Thalaise (save two rather drunk beggars who no one is inclined to believe), she is actually a skilled summoner of spirits and an equally talented illusionist.
Wings: While Ariana, like most human beings, is incapable of flight, she has created a pair of wings that allow her to soar through the skies of Thalaise. Created over a span of two years, the wings are made from the feathers of Ariana's peacocks (Though she hates the birds, she keeps a flock of them in her personal courtyard solely for their feathers.) and give the wearer the ability to fly. As Ariana discovered, though, the wings are not perfect, and the wearer must have a fairly strong body to use them properly, without plunging to their death.
Personality: Ariana is extremely manipulative. Though her outward appearance suggests elsewise, she is, in fact, a rather bitter young woman, only truly happy when she is in flight. As a young girl, she proved extremely intelligent, learning over forty languages before her twelfth birthday. Despite this, she was denied an education, and was forced to turn her intelligence and charm to other, less wholesome pursuits. She adores causing problems, and, while in her parents' court, often challenged herself to see how many wars she could start in a month. Ariana is also extremely proud, preferring to hide her failings (of which she has very few) rather than allow others to see her weaknesses. She also tends to keep her enemies within close reach, because she then finds it easier to dispose of them. Her favorite people are often those who see through the innocent facade she has put up, because those are the people she views as intellectual peers, and the same people who she derives the most satisfaction from manipulating.
Background: Born in the year of the Golden Sorrows, a traditionally auspicious year in Thalasian astrology, the birth of Princess Ariana Marie DeBrouillet seemed to bode well for the land of Thalaise-- in the year of her birth alone, Thalasian agricultural output tripled, and exports increased nearly fourfold. Against the predictions of every economic theorist in the land, Thalaise's prosperity increased as the young princess grew. While the princess' birth was universally agreed to be good for the nation, it did not bode so well for the rest of the world.
Though Ariana was an intelligent young girl, her mother abrubtly cut off Ariana's schooling when the princess was a mere ten years old. Upset by the prospect of learning "women's work" rather than philosophy, the young princess begged and pleaded to be allowed to continue her education-- her final argument was so eloquent and so well-reasoned that it is now a staple in Thalasian law texts. Unfortunately for the princess, her pleas fell on deaf ears, and her parents denied her requests (despite her father's promises to combat the queen). She subsequently locked herself in the library, and remained there for well over two weeks. When she finally emerged, she had resigned herself to the fact that her formal education was not to be continued, but she had gone out in a blaze of glory, learning forty languages in the space of eighteen days. Thus denied more scholarly pursuits, Ariana instead turned her formidable intellect on the men and women of her parents' court, directly causing thirty-three murders and indirectly causing at least fifty more before she left her parents' court, at the age of seventeen. She also used her mental prowess, combined with her irresistable charm and beauty, for the benefit of her country. Ariana virtually ruled Thalaise from the age of thirteen, dealing with both domestic and international affairs. Her specialty lay in foreign affairs-- she managed to make peace with virtually all of the world's countries, and established at least a degree of neutrality with the rest of them. She was also able to start wars between other countries, and often did so-- much to the benefit of the Thalasian economy.
Throughout her childhood, Ariana hated virtually everyone with equal intensity, with the exception of one person: Padriac, crown prince of the neighboring country of Briesse. The two had met when Ariana was fourteen, and he was seventeen, in preparation for their eventual marriage. They detested one another at first sight, and their hatred only grew over the four years that Padriac spent in Thalaise. Padriac was one of the few people who recognized Ariana's innocence as false, and Ariana found him frustrating because he always seemed to find some way to come out as Ariana's equal in their battles of wit. Despite this, they feigned a romance, knowing that they would eventually be forced to wed.
When she turned seventeen, Ariana was sent from court at the Thalasian capital to the neighboring country of Briesse so that she might marry Padriac; however, he managed to feign his own suicide to avoid marriage to Ariana. Since the match had been largely political in nature, the royal families of Thalaise and Briesse managed a compromise by marrying Ariana to Padriac's twin brother, Orpheus. Ariana largely ignored her husband, though, and continued to rule Thalaise (and now, Briesse) and continued to manipulate the members of the court, with one new mission: to discover Padriac's whereabouts, and subsequently dispose of him once and for all.
Innocence: Ariana is still innocent enough to believe that she can repress her emotions and thoughts, and reduce them to crude equations and symbols-- that they, like most issues, can be easily solved.
Associated Symbols: The peacock is an ancient symbol found in many cultures throughout the world. The richness of meanings attributed to it matches the ornate beauty of its plumage. The peacock is often depicted in Hindu mythology as a steed of the gods and is considered sacred. It is associated with Japanese and Chinese goddesses of mercy. In the Buddhist tradition, the peacock’s ability to eat poisonous snakes can be understood as a symbol of the transmutation of evil into good. In some Islamic traditions, it has been portrayed as the greeter at the gates of paradise. In ancient Persian texts the peacock represented eternal life. The early Christians praised the many “eyes” in its feathers as signs of the all-seeing God. Though for later Christians the peacock came to be regarded as a symbol of vanity, they found its usefulness in the idea that just as the beautiful peacock considers its own feet ugly humans should take note and lament their own imperfections no matter how great their worldly glory.
Padriac
(Greek, "patrician")
Song: "Padriac My Prince" by Bright Eyes
Gender: Male Age: 21 Birthdate: 18 February Height: 6'1" Weight: 160
Hobbies: hiding in the closet (literally), manipulating people, attempting to best Ariana
Likes: roses, the Tsarina, privacy, practicing his magic, ruling
Dislikes: the color blue; most human beings besides his twin, the Tsarina, and Ariana
Build: Padriac is tall and muscular; however, his muscle is lean, as opposed to being bulky and obvious-- when he was younger, in fact, several older diplomats mistook him and his twin for young girls. While his build is far from being "manly," he is now much less obviously affeminate.
Hair: Further contributing to his less-than-manly appearance, his hair is long and silky, with a slight wave to it. It falls to below his waist, and is reddish-brown in color.
Eyes: Padriac's eyes are ice-blue, framed by long lashes. While they are somewhat wide, they are androgynous (rather than being entirely affeminate). His eyes are one of his least favorite features, though, as they tend to reveal emotions which he would otherwise prefer to hide.
Face: Padriac's entire face is rather androgynous, following the pattern set by his eyes and hair. His jaw is neither narrow nor square, but somewhere in between, and his nose is also somewhere between being sharp and snub. His lips are his only facial feature which one can clearly identify with either gender: they are quite full and effeminate.
Skin: Padriac's skin is naturally fair, and quite pale from the great deal of time he spends inside. When he feigns his own death, he alters his skin tone so that it becomes slightly more blue, and takes on a certain corpse-like pallor. Though it is not necessary to do so, he allows his skin to retain its deathly appearance even after his supposed "corpse" has been buried.
Scars: Padriac's only scar is self-inflicted: when he feigns his own death, he finds it necessary to slit his own wrist so that his doppelganger will resemble someone who is bleeding (or has bled) to death. While his twin brother, Orpheus, is able to heal the cut, neither brother can completely erase the scar (nor do they feel compelled to, as Padriac becomes a virtual hemit after faking his own suicide).
Clothing: His wardrobe is largely in shades of black and gold, though he owns several orange suits simply because he knows that the color annoys Ariana. Prior to feigning his own death, he favors a rather traditional wardrobe of long jackets, capes, and dark pants-- though he does harbor a certain affinity for white ruffled shirts. After he pretends to commit suicide, he reverts to a simple wardrobe of white shirts with ruffles at the neck, and plain dark pants.
Powers: Padriac is an incredibly talented illusionist, and can also summon spirits-- though his skills are certainly less than those of his rival, the Princess Ariana of Thalaise. He also has the unusual ability to control water.
Personality: Though Padriac is incredibly manipulative, he also enjoys unnerving members of the court. As a result, many of them think that there is something slightly off about the young king, though few of them are inclined to do anything about it-- between his androgynous face, his flowing hair, and his affinity for roses, he can capture and hold the attention of any member of the court, male or female. While he enjoys toying with others' emotions, he has been raised to be a king-- meaning that his country's needs come before his own; therefore, he tries to keep his own emotions in line, so that they do not interfere with his ruling. Even his supposed death was a carefully calculated move, and interfered with very few of his domestic and international negotiations. Also as a result of his upbringing, Padriac is a highly secretive person, and tells only Orpheus, his loyal twin, of his true emotions and thoughts.
Background: Padriac was born the oldest of two twins to the monarchs of Briesse, and has been groomed to rule his entire life. He spent must of his childhood in his home country, learning political theory, and found himself rather bored as a result. Rarely around other children during the day, Padriac took to manipulating the older courtiers who surrounded him daily, wheedling candy, baubles, and even political favors from the besotted men and women. He continued to do so until the age of sixteen, when his father sent him to the neighboring kingdom of Thalaise to observe the ruling strategies of another monarch, and to meet his future bride, the Princess Ariana. Though the match was largely engineered for political reasons, the monarchs of Thalaise and Briesse hoped that their heirs would fall in love. Initially, Padriac was not adverse to the idea of marrying Ariana, but he changed his mind once he discovered that the princess was as manipulative and powerful as he. Though the pair feigned a loving relationship in public, they were privately in competition to see who had the sharper intellect. Ariana believed she had broken him when she engineered the war that killed Padriac's father, but that only deepened his hatred for the princess, and strengthened his resolve to avoid marriage to her by whatever means necessary. Around the time of his father's death, Padriac also fell in love with the Tsarina Anastasia of Mrmanskt, and believed he would be able to marry her, rather than the Princess Ariana. Padriac finally left Thalaise four summers after his initial arrival, shortly after his father's death, with a plan in place to marry the Tsarina, rather than Ariana. Ariana easily thwarted Padriac's plan, and managed to arrange their marriage soon after Padriac's departure from her country, but Padriac had one final plot to thwart her: after taking steps to ensure that he could easily rule through his twin, and that no diplomatic feathers would be ruffled, he feigned his own suicide on the night prior to his wedding, leaving a doppelganger with apparently slit wrists in the royal bathtub, and retreating to his suite underneath his closet. Ariana and Orpheus are the only ones who know that the king of Briesse is not truly dead-- Orpheus because Padriac continues to direct him in the ruling of the country, and Ariana because she can see through most illusions, and realized that Padriac's "corpse" was little more than water and a few drops of blood.
Innocence: Padriac cannot stand and face any of his problems. Which is never good, is it, now?
Associated Symbols: Padriac loves roses, lots, and always smells of them, and roses are beautiful, and proud, and often cruel (according to Persian mythology, anyways). Like our darling Padriac.
Orpheus
(Greek, "darkness")
Song: "Happy and Bleeding" by P.J. Harvey
Gender: Male Age: 21 Birthdate: 18 February Height: 6'1" Weight: 160
Hobbies: playing with his hounds, singing, and meeting new people (he is a diplomat, after all)
Likes: nearly everything, but particularly doggies
Dislikes: roses and his brother's obsession with seduction (though he does admire Padriac's brazenness)
Build: Identical to Padriac's
Hair: Identical to Padriac's, though he parts it on the opposite side
Eyes: Identical to Padriac's, though his innocence is quite real
Face: Identical to Padriac's
Skin: During the winter, it is similar to Padriac's skin premortem, but, in the summer, his skin is often tanned due to the extensive time he spends in travel.
Scars: Orpheus, being the more active of the two twins, has several scars on his knees and elbows that he recieved when he was a young child, and one larger scar across his arm, recieved in the same battle that killed his father. He also has several scratches and bitemarks, given to him by his hounds while he was training them
Clothing: Orpheus and his win were always dressed in matching outfits as young children; however, as they grew older, Orpheus' wardrobe began to shift towards the practical. While both he and his brother favor black clothing, with simple white and gold accents, Padriac's clothing is far more ornate and, some might say, foppish than his brother's simple clothing. While Orpheus will allow his brother to dress him for court events, he far prefers his everyday wardrobe of simple black jackets and pants over plain white shirts.
Powers: Orpheus' only magical power is his ability to animate objects-- while the task of animation is something that nearly everyone in Briesse, from the smallest child to the most skilled illusionist, can perform, Orpheus has honed his skill to the point where he can hold his own against even the most skilled illusionists (though, admittedly, Ariana was fighting him from several hundred miles away, and she did win-- after twenty-four hours, that is.)
Personality: While Orpheus knows that he is far from being the best at anything-- and he will be the first to admit it-- he is quite determined to succeed at whatever task given him. As a result, he devotes as much effort as possible to any task he receives-- be it his diplomatic duties, his royal duties, or his maritial duties. Padriac is also painfully loyal to anything, which annoys his wife, Ariana, a great deal (that says very little, though, as Ariana hates Orpheus, believing him to be too innocent and too trusting of people who are, more often than not, taking advantage of him.
Background: Born the younger of two twins to the queen and king of Briesse, Orpheus knew from a very young age that he was not destined to be king and was, in fact, quite happy with that, and was determined to instead be a successful diplomat. He spent much of his childhood travelling the different countries of the world, establishing relationships with their monarchs, and was also trained extensively in the art of war. In his sixteenth year, his father took Orpheus into war, to give the young prince experience with the other side of diplomatic negotiations. The young prince was removed from battle shortly thereafter, though, when he was attacked by an enemy. Orpheus survived the attack with little more than a cut on his arm, but his father died attempting to protect him-- a fact for which he has never been able to forgive himself, which annoys Padriac greatly, and amuses his wife, Ariana, nearly as much as it irks Padriac. Following his father's death, Orpheus was looking forward to a long diplomatic career in distant countries when his brother feigned his own death, and charged Orpheus with the duties of marrying Ariana, and ruling Briesse. Despite this, Orpheus does not actually do a great deal of ruling-- Ariana and Padriac control him and his actions, and all three of them know that Orpheus would, in all likelihood, make a terrible (if benevolent) ruler.
Innocence: Orpheus has a tendency to confuse self-sacrifice with kindness-- and that, I suppose, is even worse.
Associated Symbols: Orpheus loves his dogs, and they are quite loyal to him, if not a bit stupid. And that is exactly like Orpheus: blindly loyal, and a tad too trusting-- not to mention a tad too willing to do whatever it may take to persuade people to love him.
 wonderfinch · Sun Sep 30, 2007 @ 09:18pm · 0 Comments |
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