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[philoxenia]

	Mira Delacroix: No matter how tough things may get, I don't want to give up.
	APP HMD Dancer Michelle

Player Name: Michelle
Age: 26
Contact: sweetstacks
Timezone: PST
Other character currently in game: None

Character name: Mira Delacroix
Age: 19
Canon: Original
Canon point:
History:
In the interest of keeping this somewhat concise, we'll go over the most significant points of Mira's history that she doesn't remember, but which have had a bearing on who she is as a person.

Mira's first life is, perhaps, the one in which she is the most different from how she currently is. She grew up in a small village with her parents, and with magic outlawed, she had to practice her mastery of it in secret. She was, at one point, able to command the elements, with a particular affinity for water and ice. Unfortunately, after her village was attacked, she ended up joining a rebellion against the corrupt king. It didn't end well, to put it lightly; Mira ultimately ended up biting off more than she could chew and the rebellion sort of... fizzled out. While Mira didn't know it, the world she knew literally revolved around her and another. That is... she's little more than a player in a game. One--the pawn of darkness, Elios--was given a choice. The other, Mira, was not. The cycles go like this: Elios and Mira are reborn. They find each other, and one way or another, one ends up dead at the hands of the other. If Mira kills, it's a point to the god of darkness. If Elios kills, it's a point to the god of light. Then, the world is wiped clean, rebuilt, and it begins again.

It makes sense to them, probably.

Her second life was largely inconsequential, fairly normal aside from the whole power play between gods--which she learned about here, owing to the fact that she remembered her past life. It wasn't until the third life that things really got interesting; Mira remembered her first two lives and ended up outright refusing to take part in the game.

Obviously, the gods didn't like this, so they decided to punish her for her indiscretion: They decided, "Well, we can't have people outright defying us." So they took her elemental powers, reformed them to be her empathy, and the cherry on top of the whole thing? Those with powers are treated with hostility. It's not outright violent, but there's always discontent bubbling beneath the surface. Furthermore, from this life on forward, Mira remembers nothing about her past lives. (That isn't to say that Noah, her brother, who's sort of the reluctant immortal eyes and ears for the gods and remembers every cycle, hasn't tried. At one point, Mira and Noah planned to murder the gods, but that never panned out. Unfortunately.) No one ever said these gods were merciful. Essentially, the rest of her lives (we're on the sixth here) are fairly inconsequential, following the usual formula of grow up -> powers manifest -> death occurs.

Born near Cognac, France, Mira Delacroix grew up, at least early on, with a fairly normal childhood. Her parents were loving and conflict was very low, and her brother Noah doted on her constantly. Most of her days she spent in her family's vineyards, and her mother homeschooled her for the first few years of her schooling. She grew up surrounded by love and care... until gradually, it started to wane. She couldn't tell you when exactly it happened; it was a slow process, her alienation. Her parents started paying less and less attention to her, and only her brother really watched out for her. Mira didn't understand what was happening--how could she, when she was so young and still trying to navigate her own identity? The love she knew once dwindled until her parents all but ignored her. The people in town that she'd grown to know and care about treated her, at best, as if she didn't exist. At worst, they aimed cruel words at her, and Mira began to withdraw.

But her brother remained ever at her side. One day, when Noah had finally had enough, he packed up his and Mira's belongings, and they moved out. Her parents easily signed over custody of her, and while thirteen-year-old Mira was confused and hurt, she had a feeling that it was for the best. They moved to the States, specifically Washington, and Noah enrolled her in a private school. What made this school different was what all the students and teachers had in common. Mira didn't understand why so many people gravitated toward her, but what she did know was that she could feel what they were feeling. And so she finally asked Noah what was different about this place. And so Noah told her the truth: They were both born with special powers, and the world they lived in fed on that power and turned it outward. What resulted was the inhabitants of the world sensing danger from powered individuals. At least during her childhood, the more Mira's powers (those of empathy, the power to feel and even influence others' emotions in a subtle way) grew, the more her world raised its defenses.

Even with this knowledge, Mira remained quiet and kept to herself. She made a very small group of friends, but she did not often reach out to others. She focused instead on her studies, and graduated with high marks. Noah, an inventor, created for her a little pendant that would dampen the world's effects. While not very strong, it still had the desired effect: People mostly avoided her, but did not exhibit outright hostility. With the pendant tucked close to her heart, Mira entered college, and she met a young man named Elios. They bonded quickly, and Mira found herself drawn to him for a reason even she couldn't discern. She's opened up a little after entering college--and meeting Aiden, an aspiring writer who would become Noah's boyfriend--and it seemed like college would be almost good for her.

And then, one day, Mira came home to find Elios in her and Noah's apartment. Her brother sat dead at his desk, and Elios had a precious object in his hand: another pendant. Mira panicked, and Elios attacked; she fended him off, scared out of her mind, and she ended up taking his life in self-defense. Distraught and overwhelmed by the residual feelings of his anger, Mira called Aiden and begged for his help. He managed to calm her just enough, but by the time he came to her apartment, she had already left... with all her and Noah's money and a suitcase of belongings.

She meant to lose Aiden, shake him off her trail, but he knew her too well. He ended up finding her a week later, and tried to convince her to go home, but she asked for time to think about it. Eventually, she agreed to go back home with him, if only because she was so scared and couldn't stand being alone. After returning home, she and Aiden found that it was as if Elios and Noah had never existed. Their bodies were gone, which was--understandably--distressing to the pair. What Mira did find, though, was a journal that explained everything. Noah, as it turned out, had been dragged into the whole thing too. He'd kept an extensive record of the whole shebang, and Mira spent a long time reading it. She trusted Aiden enough to read it, too, and in the end, they made a decision together.

They'd end the game, and do whatever they could to hold the gods accountable.


Three key adjectives: Kind, hardworking, thoughtful

Influential Events: EVENT 001: MANIFESTATION OF POWERS

Perhaps the event that has shaped her the most. Her power of empathy rested dormant inside her until around the time she turned ten. Up until that point, she had a normal life, a good relationship with her parents, until gradually that started to change. Understandably, this resulted in a lot of confusion and upset for Mira; her life had been turned upside down. It resulted in her feeling like everything is very fragile, easily changed, and so her ability to trust started to change, too. She started to see the world in a different light--she finds it difficult to truly grow close to someone. This is an interesting contrast to her desire to be close to people. She's someone who thrives on interactions and relationships with other people, but at the same time... well, she's worried that it could all change in an instant. It results in a lot of overthinking on Mira's part--how can she know that things won't be different the next day? Still, it doesn't particularly stop her from trying to reach out to people.

There's just, you know. A lot of underlying anxiety there.

EVENT 002: YEETING OURSELVES TO A DIFFERENT HOME

Sometimes, you need a fresh start.

Mira's brother had grown sick of seeing his little sister so miserable. So, he made the decision to pack up with her and take her to a new home. Noah's act of love and kindness not only paved the way for a better life--owing, also, to the magic necklace he created for her, which sort of "masks" her powers and therefore makes things a little more normal for her--but it's inspired her. Kindness has always been in her nature, but Noah's always emphasized and encouraged showing it. It's instilled within her the importance of treating someone with kindness. (Though, within reason. Don't waste your time on being kind to someone who won't show you the same, Noah had always told her.) Her brother's lessons have stuck with her, then; and, maybe, if there's someone who's suffering, Mira thinks that maybe a little bit of kindness can go a very long way. Additionally, the move from France to the States has allowed her to kind of loosen up a little. She's been able to open up, to allow herself to take chances. She still has that anxiety, but at the same time, the change has done a world of difference for her.

EVENT 003: COLLEGE START

Combined with her move, entering college has resulted in her examining her interests and what she wants to do. She's focused on keeping her head down for the most part, but a little encouragement from her brother has helped her branch out. It's been hard for her to truly open up, mostly because of her empathy, and letting her guard down would result in feeling a lot of things she probably doesn't want to feel from other people... but it's been a change. She's far from outgoing, yes, but bring up one of her interests, and she will talk for ages. (Especially books. She can talk endlessly about books.) Mira's not made a lot of friends, but the ones she has made have been invaluable in making her feel more at ease with herself. Especially if she feels a connection to someone--say, a kindred spirit who openly shows their love for books--she doesn't have too much of a problem opening up, joking with someone, and so on. It might be cliche, but college has helped her find herself.

EVENT 004: LOCAL WOMAN DOES A MURDER

And then, sometimes, you do a murder.

Her brother's murder at the hands of someone she'd trusted and felt a bond with has left her very shaken. Her desire to feel connections with people can sometimes keep her from being a great judge of character; when you haven't had something your whole life, and you find it, it's hard to really know what to do with it. That is to say... she'd found a sense of stability, and a part of her had been afraid to entertain any idea that something might send it crashing down. Sure enough, that sense of stability she'd desperately needed and wanted crumbled in an instant, and she hasn't been able to forgive herself for seeing that things weren't as bright and good as she'd wanted them to be. Mostly, she's felt a lot of fear since that moment, but also there's been a little anger (at Elios, for murdering her brother; at herself, for feeling so scared and taking someone's life). Then again, that anger has made her feel distinctly uncomfortable, particularly because she hasn't ever felt true anger. It's hard for her to process it, and it's something she still hasn't reconciled. It's left her feeling adrift at sea, in a manner of speaking, and she hasn't yet been able to find her footing. Combine that with the grief she's having trouble working through, and it leaves her... well, a little out of sorts. Aiden's helped with that, at least somewhat, but she still has trouble with the anger bit. More than that... feeling something so new has left her feeling like she doesn't know herself. Mira knows she has a lot to learn, especially about herself, so there might be some identity issues simmering beneath the surface, too! How fun.

EVENT 005: KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

Possibly the most important event, other than Mira's doing a murder, is her discovery of Noah's journal. When you live forever, you tend to write things down. And as Noah is a messenger of the gods, he writes down everything that's related to Mira, her situation, and her past lives. After Noah's death, Mira actually discovers this journal, and everything sort of falls into place. It doesn't do much to make her feel better, but it does give her an understanding of why things are the way they are. She also learns that the necklace Noah made for her blocks the gods' influence over her. So, essentially, it keeps her from that hostility... and also keeps her from being subjected to the whole game. So her current life, after she takes Elios's life, remains. The discovery of Noah's journal does something very important for her: It instills a sense of determination in her, and gives her a goal: To end things for good. While it takes a while for her to reach this breakthrough after reading the journal, Mira believes she deserves a real chance at living, instead of just playing along in something she never chose. It's something she throws her whole heart and soul into, and she dedicates herself fully to it.

After all, things are only worth doing if you do them the most.

Link to Samples: Link to Sample 1; Link to Sample 2

World Description: Centuries ago, the gods got bored.

As you do, as an all-powerful being. It's sometimes not enough to just watch humanity play out, play its role. Sometimes, gods get bored too, and they feel the need to prove themselves. Unfortunately, what the gods of this world decided to do in order to combat that boredom is... make a bet. The gods are your traditional gods of light and darkness; they're more akin to siblings, and when siblings squabble, sometimes others get involved. The "Chosen Ones" are not exactly your traditional Chosen Ones--rather, they're more pawns in a game. Every couple of decades, the world is outright remodeled, reformed, reborn.

That's not to say the world isn't fully formed, with its own history and everything. The current world is one that closely follows ours, aside from gods, divine intervention, and people with special powers--we're dealing with gods, after all, gods who just so happen to be drunk off their own power. So, essentially, the world is just like any run of the mill world... aside from, you know, the people with special powers and gods.

Chosen path: Dancer
5 Abilities: Allure, Acrobatics, Quick Employment, Calm Emotions, Telekinesis, Hidden Knife, Master of Faces
Why this path?: While Mira doesn't have any experience with dancing, what she does have is a lot of tenacity. When she puts her mind to something, she doesn't give up until she sees it through. Mira works hard at pretty much anything she cares about. She also probably wouldn't fare well if she had to wear a bunch of armor; rather, she'd favor speed and technique as opposed to brute force. Mira's also endlessly yearning for a change of scenery, for something different, so the wandering aspect of dancers would fit her to a T. And, outside of in-character reasons, I'd like to give her a reason to branch out and find her chance to shine.

blurb code by photosynthesis