* ‧₊ ୨ৎ 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑏𝑦 , a private blog for sistine chappell, an original character set in city of ruin. written by rora, 24, she/her pronouns.
˗ˏˋ sideblog to enchaentingly, prompt tag, about muse tag, pinterest. ˎˊ˗
name. sistine maria chappell. occupation. professional prima-ballerina, sunday school teacher. age. 31. sexuality. closeted bisexual. species. human. location. her hometown is new orleans, lousiana. sistine's been in port leiry for a few days, at most. relationship status. single. personality traits. spiritual, faithful, considerate, delusional, obsessive, principled, disciplined, ambitious. family members of note. maria chappell (mother), mark chappell (father), vitus chappell (older brother), maria chappell (older sister), roman chappell (younger brother).
just a general blanket trigger warning that sistine's story is rife with discussions of religion, and how it has shaped her as a character.
sistine is in possession of a cursed amulet that makes her think that god’s talking to her. it was given to the chappell family many generations ago, by a witch who meant to lure a faithful family into sin. sistine's grandfather gives it to her, after her parents had already agreed to not to as the necklace had previously been involved in several mental breakdowns of family members in the past. the necklace speaks with god's voice, but it demands violence in his name. the necklace grows more powerful in locations potent with magic and supernatural creatures, thus, why it draws sistine to port leiry. the necklace's curse increases the longer it is worn, and the more blood that it has already claimed, or the more it's managed to 'corrupt' the person wearing it. (ex: when sistine gets angry that someone has stolen the necklace, the intensity of her emotion skyrockets and she kills a fellow dancer. she does not remember this) sistine is just beginning to feel the effects of the necklace, but she doesn't know about any magic, nor family history surrounding it.
presently, sistine's just vibe-checking port leiry. eventually, she will seek out a place to work and live in the city. as of now, she still is the portland ballet's prima-ballerina. she commutes while figuring out port leiry bc she can’t compete with immortal supermodel ballerinas who were trained in classical russian ballet in the 1800s, so sorry.
Does your character believe in the existence of a higher authority / deity?
sistine was raised catholic, and takes her faith very seriously. she believes in god, and while she generally does not hold other people- christian or not -to the same standards, sistine harbors a lot of catholic guilt and is incredibly hard on herself when it comes to morality and doing the right thing. even the smallest of sins require thorough reflection and penance.
If your character is human, how would they react to finding out about the supernatural world exists?
she can’t understand why god would let demons walk on his earth, and assumes it to be some kind of punishment for humanity’s sin. she knows witches to be sent by the devil, but she’d think god turned humans to werewolves and vampires to punish them for their respective violence and greed.
she’s doing the twilight research montages, though a lot of it is combing through different versions of the bible and looking for descriptions that match the creatures she’d be seeing in PL.
What song would you say is your character’s theme song?
parasite by ella red but death by devotion by adela is the one whose lyrics are all over her blog <3.
chappells are doctors, lawyers, professors. they are ambition and academic, brown-skinned, clothes ironed and tucked. they keep their chin up, focus in their brow, and they thank god at the end of each day, for he was the one to give them the gift of their success. sistine was raised at that table. be proud, be humble, be grateful. be poised, be forgiving, be a good christian. remember where you came from, and don't let them step over you. sistine wasn't nearly the first child, predated by vitus and maria. vitus, every bit the son that mark had hoped for, and maria, every bit deserving of her mother's name. sistine was born third, and roman came four years later. the chappell children were well-behaved as little angels, polite as saints, they walked to school, all four of them, together, in perfectly pressed uniforms. they walked home the same way. and they never, ever cursed. they were precious gifts for their parents to be proud of. children taught to never complain, to stay clean, to stay smart, and to stay quiet, out of grown folk's business. children taught to keep the south out of their tongue. children taught about god. all knowing, all seeing, and inescapable. respectful, fearful children, because that was the only way to keep them safe in a city like new orleans, so rife with sin.
it wasn't holy to have favorites- god didn't, and his love was the only one that mattered -but granddaddy took a liking to sistine. he loved all of his little chappell grandbabies, but sistine was spoiled rotten. when she was too little to follow vitus and maria to school, granddaddy took her to watch the ballet. she sat on his lap donned with ribbons, curls, tutus, and mary-janes, and sistine was mesmerized. she prayed to god to let her dance, and granddaddy heard her prayers. ballerinas weren't doctors, lawyers, professors- but they were ambitious. but they were talented. but they were disciplined, respectful, and fearful. sistine's big sister maria said they'd never agree to dance class, but sistine prayed and prayed and prayed- and she knew mama and daddy could never say no to granddaddy.
when she looks at her life- her childhood, sistine sees it through sacraments. she was baptized, cleansed of original sin. then, forgiven, she reconciled. then, sistine was given her first communion- and how pretty she'd looked in that perfect white veil, a picture of innocence. then, she had been confirmed into the catholic church with grandaddy as her sponsor. god always kept his eyes on her, unwavering, as she danced through all of it in the light of the lord. while other little girls were placed in ballet by vicarious mothers and fathers with heavy pockets, sistine always wanted to be a ballerina. even young, sistine knew she was serious, which earned her a soft spot with her ballet madame. madame taught her french, showed her pictures and old movies of the ballerina when she had been in her prime- and sistine adored her.
when sistine graduated high school, she did so with honors, and a little golden charm on her cap of ballet shoes. her grandaddy had one last gift for her, that he waited to give until the very end of the night, away from mama and daddy's eyes- but never from god's. he presents her with a treasure so ancient that she's afraid to touch it. it's a necklace- an amulet, on a long, golden chain. it's been promised to you, sissy. he says, been with chappells for longer than anyone remembers. it reminds us where we came from, where we're meant to go. he tells her that mama and daddy won't understand, that they think it's linked with some dirty family secrets. but he says that's all a bunch of gossip, and sistine's got a good heart and her head's screwed on tight. so long as she wears the necklace, ruby-red and gleaming, she'll stay on god's path. sistine feels precious, and holy, and she wears it beneath her clothes- every moment that she can.
she owes her family a few more years of devotion before sistine follows madame to france at twenty, promising that she'll stay in touch. that she'll stay safe, stay good. madame tells her that they'll love her in france- and they do. god keeps his eye on her, and she blossoms. in france, she's talented, and elegant, and disciplined, and they tell her that her dancing has soul. they say the same things in london, and then in st. petersburg. and, there, sistine makes her own way. russia's colder, but sistine can handle it, the very same that every chappell has done before her. sistine has her faith, and her necklace, and her body, and that's all that she needs. the expectations in st. petersburg are higher, naturally, and rich with a history of their art that she's only beginning to understand. and then, there are the ballerinas, which is the one area left that sistine does not master before she leaves.
she's the shining star of their swan lake. their odette, their swan queen, pure, innocent, and feathered. sistine takes flight opening night, the white costume clings oddly to the amulet beneath the bodice, so sistine leaves it behind. god knows her- has known her even before she donned the chappell's great treasure, some heirloom antique that's too unfortunately material to make it to heaven. when she returns to her bag, breathless, her heart an orchestra louder than any applause, the very first thing she reaches for to center herself is that ruby-red gem- and it's gone. sistine can't tell anyone what happens next, nor why she knew who took it- only that she wakes hours later with the jewel and its chain sitting in the palm of her hand, and there's blood between her fingers.
later, she'll hear stories of a tragic accident happening to some poor, young ballerina from the corps of st. petersburg. sistine might remember the name of some jealous thief. but, by then, they'd sent her to moscow, and covered up whatever happened the night of swan lake. which is fine, for sistine, who only remembers the strange sensation of sleepwalking, and the vulgar potency of an anger that she prays to forget.
in moscow, she studies and flourishes further, but, soon after, she's ready to come back to america for new york's ballet. in new york, her family comes to see her. a row full of chappells, smiling bright and happy to see her and not one of them looks disappointed. it fills her heart up with love, and faith, and she pours it all into the amulet hanging from her neck, clasped in the palm of her hands. she'd always carried god with her, and her family, too, but homesickness swallows her up. when she dances, it's beautiful, but full of the sorrow of missing home. her family brings her roses and magnolias, they glitter through sistine and mama's happy, happy tears. granddaddy isn't there to see her dance, but sistine can feel him in her necklace. he's proud of her, too. they all are.
the company in new york sings about her talent, it's made it to the papers. sistine's name in headlines, pictures of her in satin shoes, the shadows kissing her muscle definition, the beautiful contrast of a delicate pink costume and her skin. they tell her that she could dance anywhere, but she chose here. and new york is a living, breathing place- but it's not new orleans. she prays to god for wisdom and guidance and he sends her alcide laroux in the audience of her next show, a friend she'd met in france. he's ... kind with her. there's no critique in his voice, no expectation. he's not telling her to be more devout, nor to straighten that back leg. he's normal, and lovely. sistine takes it as a sign, and, within the next year, sistine follows him to oregon, hoping it'll help her find her way. sistine hears a voice in the wind, strong and comforting, awe-inspiring. it wraps around her ribcage. go.
with new york's glowing recommendation, portland's ballet is more than happy to have her. with alcide nearby, and with god in her heart- with god watching, sistine has something tying her to the ground that isn't ballet shoes or a contract. portland forces her to live, and alcide tells her about that little city he's in with his friend thera, how he's learning to just be, too. sistine spends the day dancing, with her bible, and at church. but, the nights ... they grow worse. god's love turns on her with a vengeance. it burns, instead of keeping her warm. he presses his hands to her skin and creates iron molts in their place. sistine wakes up from abstract nightmares in the middle of places she can't remember walking to. sistine is sleepwalking, again, and while there's no blood, nor anger, she can't help but remember that night in st. petersburg. sistine prays, and prays, and prays, but the nights turn longer. then, god's talking to her. it thunders in her heart. sistine feels chosen, and precious, and afraid. the amulet had been a gift, so sistine needed to cherish it. sistine needed to listen. even when god's words are violent, and demanding, she knows them to be righteous. sistine stops taking the necklace off when she dances, she tucks it beneath pink sweaters and leotards alike. she takes every fleeting whisper that god gives her through the necklace like its scripture, because it is.
so when sistine wakes up, one night, walking to a sign that reads port leiry, like alcide had talked about. when she hears god command her to go, it's not a question.
a corrupting influence - 😇😇 hehe! bonus points if they are knowledgeable about magic and clock the cursed amulet under her clothes, and are willing to figure that out with her. this is a specific connection that will require a lot of plotting as i'm hoping to turn this into a "make her worse" arc. though, she does kind of have a cursed necklace that's doing the work of corrupting her for ya but as a bonus yk
^^ in addition to that, though, she's a human who's stepped into the supernatural world for the very first time, bone apple teeth.
past connections from sistine's adventures in ballet - rough timeline belowww but i'm just looking for anything!
20 - travels to france 23 - travels to london 24 - travels to st. petersburg 28 - travels to moscow 29 - travels to new york 30 - comes to oregon 31 - comes to port leiry
the witch behind the amulet - does your muse have vengeful witch ancestors that liked to fuck with the catholics? is your muse a 100s of years old vengeful witch that liked to fuck with the catholics? this may end up in npc territory bc it's so specific but i figure i'd offer!