Updated character bios for my Mai Otome fanfic sequel
Special note: I'll use images of other characters who closely inspired / approximate / are the basis for / share the same voice cast as the characters in my storyline. Refer to my DA if you want sketchy garbo examples for some of my OCs.
Princess Erstin Kx, the plucky kusarigama-wielding heroine. (in-universe: "Erstin Kx" is the short hand version of "Erstin Krau-xeku" she uses when she's signing official documents and stuff. out-of-universe: I like to think "Erstin Kx" is pronounced "Erstin Kai." As in, "Erstin Revised" or "Erstin Mk. II")
The purrfect solution in Garderobe's ultimate plan to create a long-term peace between the kingdoms of Cardair and Florince, so the Otome order can flourish and the younger Sisters never have to worry about being thrown into another war against each other. Ceremonial leader of the New Cardair team. Uses the same Robe as her mom, but it's been re-configured with abilities mostly centered around communicating with and supporting other Otomes. She's the third worst close-range berserker in a party that has three berserkers, almost as if her whole gimmick is meant to illustrate why members of Cardair's royal family SHOULDN'T be using their power to hurt Otomes (hmmmm). Kinda ditzy, kinda pointless when you look at some of the other members of her team, but maybe she's packing a sizzling surprise.
Erstin Kx's mom, Empress Akane Krau-xeku (née Soir, born in Florince). The kind-hearted matriarch struggling to redeem Cardair from its tragic past and convert it into a peaceful ally of other Otome-employing nations. She constantly balances on a tight rope of trying to develop Cardair's progressive new values while still respecting their history and nationality.
Erstin Kx's dad, Emperor Kazuya Krau-xeku (a native of Cardair). A well-intentioned but dorky political leader with a bad habit of not staying alive for very long in the overarching narrative loop of Mai HiME / Mai Otome. Respects women (because his entire character's survival is dependent on them.)
Tomomi Marguerite, Erstin Kx's school rival (pre-graduation arc) / professional psychotic arch nemesis (post-grad). The daughter of Tomoe Marguerite (the psycho Otome from the TV show). She'd love to torture Erstin Kx's entire family to death.
Archduke of Artai. I never really settled on a formal name for him. Nagi’s silver-haired little hellspawn, and the main villain of the sequel. He’s slightly younger than Erstin Kx and Tomomi, and he’s often Tomomi’s primary employer. Wants to make Cardair crumble so it reverts to its state from the TV series (a magi-tech outpost for the cult he inherited from his dad) through any means available to him. ANY MEANS AVAILABLE.
He views his father's downfall as starting from the moment Cardair collapsed, and then Akane and Mahya showed up in the final battle representing an early version of New Cardair (while kinda ignoring the fact Argos XIV's Cardair brought it on themselves by making shady deals with the Schwarz cult and helping create a team of grave-robbing supervillains). So this freaky little dude is pretty obsessed with Cardair specifically.
Even in storylines where he's not an on-screen threat, he always lingers somewhere in the background, waiting for an opportunity to twist the knife when Cardair's despair is the most painful. Proudly wears the nickname "Rat King" (in stark contrast to Erstin Kx's cat motif) and leads his armies from his low-orbit battle station that vaguely resembles a triangular block of cheese.
Roxy Monique. Second-in-command of the New Cardair team, and their true tactical leader (heavily inspired by Sailor V's role within the Inner Senshi). Erstin Kx's childhood best friend / blossoming lesbian lover. Local Sword Goddess of the team. She vows to protect the royal family with her life. But she may be trapped in a curse of her own...
Roxy's mom, Janis Monique (née Chopin). A former low-ranking secretary of Emperor Argos XIV (read: She was in the castle for the entire TV show, but she had no idea what the royals were up to, and she was never in a position to stop them. She was probably just making coffee or something). Becomes a noble confidante to Empress Akane (read: she REALLY looks up to Akane as a way to make amends for all that junk in the TV show). She's Akane's senior by 10-20 years, and she tries to guide the younger ruler in the ways of Cardair statecraft and political world-healing.
Roxy's dad, Llwyd Monique (his first name is pronounced like "Floyd" or "Fluid" with a strong German-Welsh accent. Because Roxy's name is an homage to Roxy Music, and Janis's name is an homage to Janis Joplin and Frederic Chopin, and Llwyd's name is an homage to Pink Floyd. The whole family has a musical motif, as you can probably tell.) The self-titled "Ghost of the Old Argos Regime." He never directly participated in Cardair's war crimes during the Mai Otome TV series (read: everything involving Arika's mom, and how Nagi's cult created the Valkyries) due to the fact he was commanding his hover-ship on an away mission, and he only sailed home in time to witness Midori sacking the capital city (episode 22 in the TV series). Forced into retirement / semi-exile after Cardair fell and Kazuya was installed as the deer-in-headlights, no-idea-what's-going-on-but-maybe-because-he's-so-clueless-he's-just-the-hope-we-need-to-rebuild-ourselves-around new emperor. Roxy was born during his furlough from the Cardair navy, a couple years after the TV show ended, after Cardair became relatively stable.
Llwyd wants to see Akane's efforts succeed, with the added condition he also wants his country to be restored as an independent, respected military power. Feels like he's constantly drowning in the guilt of Cardair's atrocities from the TV show, and the longer-term consequences of their ancient rivalry with Florince, but he still refers to Kazuya as "An even worse wreck than me." He wants nothing more than to see his sacred homeland finally "escape" its "Purgatorial" (his choice of words) occupied state. But he knows his time has come and gone, and he leaves the empire's future in the hands of his daughter Roxy. He's just happy to be here.
Ikaho Huit (Cardair, intel/espionage), Inghild Grosse (Cardair, shields/defense), and Lily Claudel (Florince, close-range attacker). The other three goons on Erstin Kx's squad, an international Meister Otome team carefully chosen by Garderobe as a way to maintain a permanent peace between Cardair and Florince. Two of them are OC daughters of official Mai Otome characters or sumthin idk.
Shizuru Viola. Akane's old commanding officer, who has publicly stepped back into a neutral role so Cardair can find its own national identity. (Whether or not she's still helping in not-so-public ways is a matter for debate.) It's rumored she gets along very well with Roxy's dad.
Natsuki Kruger. She's still the headmistress of Garderobe Academy two decades after the events of the TV series. She was their leader all the way back in the days Akane was a student. She's doing a pretty good job monitoring the Otome System's global status quo, but when it comes to the Cardair Plan, she hesitantly tells Shizuru "We might really be reaching on this one." But Erstin Kx still finds new ways to make her do the surprised Pikachu face.
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