Sheβs fought all her life to keep away that insidious, parasitic thing called doubt. It preys on those of weak will and lesser worth, it roots in the hollows of their bellies and poisons them from the inside.
Now, allow Divina a moment to makeΒ perfectlyΒ clear: the knots tightly cinched in her own stomach are notΒ that. To doubt her chances of victory in her upcoming Blood Brawl debut would require a healthy, warranted fear of the ancient Shivaβone that Divina wholly lacks.Β
Instead, she feels the rumble of a familiar hungerβa terrifying, empty feeling that grows each time she hears passing whispers betting a monthβs worth of Blood Yen on her defeat.
In truth, no matter the key in which itβs sung or the melody that accompanies the word, there is no complimentary way in which to be called an underdog. Anger simmers into annoyance as Divina remembers it is, after all, her firstΒ Brawl. Those who underestimate her will soon be corrected. Publicly.
Privately, she does what any performer would with new, unfamiliar material. She rehearses. She knows well enough where her strengths lieβdeception, evasion, endurance. Where she lacksβhand-to-hand-combatβshe knows as well.Β
How lucky, then, to have a friendly Cicada to call upon?
Heavy wood panels cover the Opera Theatre stage, and as she paces back and forth across its width, from wing to wing, Divinaβs each step is followed by a familiarΒ thump and its resounding echo through the empty auditorium. A creak of the door springs her head upwards.Β
βYou came!β
The smile that comes next is perhaps wider than sheβd meant, and she works to soften the bunched edges of her cheeks and pull her excitement back, just a little, before a conspicuous flush of carnation tells the tale regardless. She settles her gaze on Cai, and with her mindβs eye, she makes real an illusionary grand welcome for her guestβa shower of cherry blossoms float gently from the space beneath the painted ceiling, and a spotlight guides the Cidada queen-in-waiting towards the stage to join her.
βWhen I asked if youβd help me train before the fight, I wasnβt sure if youβd consider it a conflict of interest.. But then I thought, surely, my victory over a Moth is in everyoneβsΒ best interest.β She plays with a teasing smile before she settles on one side of center stage, turning to face her teacher for the evening.Β βSo, where do we start?β
WHERE: a practice courtyard, somewhere in the backs of the arena
WHEN: blood brawl round one, in between shiva v. divina and razan v. sèleste
WHO: closed for @razanhellββ
Five.
As one of the landβs greenling vampires, Divinaβs human years have not yet escaped her memory. Braided amongst half a centuryβs reveries, there have beenΒ five moments that have shown her what it might mean to be satisfied.Β
Each lasted just thatβa momentβbefore a new, deeper craving took its place.
Her eyes are opened when she is a child, draped in fresh silks and anotherβs name, and the echoes of the opera hall teach her to dream;
She is a girl, rocking a newborn through the night, and she learns what the fuss about loveΒ has been all this time;
She is a woman, limbs and lips tangled with the nocturnal kingdomβs crown jewels, and she grows a taste for blood;
She is a vampiress, the beauty in disingenuity, mistress of her song and her stage, and finally she is acquainted with purpose;
She is a power, painting the Domeβs floor with the blood of an ancient one, against all better odds, and all bore witness.
Her inaugural Brawl performance leaves behind an imprint β an echo of the crowdβs roar, a searing image of an audience in ovation during a final bow. She leaves the arena, skin and nails speckled scarlet with Shivaβs blood. Swift steps take her through the coliseumβs hallways, and already, the taste of victory is not enough. She craves somethingΒ more.
She craves a sixthΒ moment.
Adrenaline and confidence push reason aside, and instinct moves her too quickly to allow Divina time to second guess her trajectory; in a moment, sheβs face to face with them.
βRazan?β she asks. Approach slow, intent eyes wide, Divina joins them in the courtyard.Β βI saw your match is next on the schedule, I wanted to come wish you luck.βΒ
βOf course,β she begins to tease, and a hint of play curves red lips upward at the corners, βIβll be off to say the same to SΓ¨leste in a moment. Unlike you, though, sheβll need it.β
illusion creation Β» craft illusions that feel like reality. longer / bigger illusion result in immense fatigue.
VISUALIZATION
Divina's power inherently has very few physical tells.
While casting basic and even moderately intricate illusions, she appears as poised and pointed as always.
Complex, stamina-draining visions presented for large crowds of people may sometimes bring forth physical signs of exhaustion or confusion, especially in instances where Divina is simultaneously performing or interacting with someone and must split her focus. In these instances, someone perceptive may see a slight vibration behind her eyes, as if she's drifted off to a dreamland of her mind's making. She may come across as distracted, forgetful, or a bit spacey as she's busy weaving worlds together.
If she's pushed to her absolute limits, Divina may faint from exhaustion. Her body remains comatose and unmoving until her energy is regained.
SENSES
Sight. For the first year, Divina feared she had no ability, for not a thing in her vision had changed. Selfish thing, in looking for her gift she'd never once thought to search in another's eyes. What she possesses is the ability to gift the world with her perception β and, truly, isn't that just as much a gift to them as it is to her?
Her sense of sight is sharp and quick, and her peripheral vision is wide. She needs this, for it's through her sight that she sets her targets. She must see them, before she can show them.
While casting, Divina sees her illusions only in her mind's eye; she is able to easily discern them from reality and project them only to her chosen audience. As some part of her own body is always in her own peripheral view, she may choose at any time to join in the illusion herself and experience her creations in living color just as vividly as her targets. When she does this and her two worlds of vision blend as one, it becomes much easier for her to lose herself in an overwhelm of sight; it can lead to confusion, dizziness, and sometimes a ringing in her ears or a loss of hearing. This is a sign that she's very likely close to her limit,
Her sense of smell disappears almost entirely while she's casting. (On an aside, this consistent in-and-out of her sense of smell has only doubled her lust for indulgent scents and perfumes.)
The illusions she creates are fully visual and auditory; Divina cannot (or has not learned to) conjure the illusion of scents or tastes.
Touch is where things get interesting. While her ghost-like images are not real, they, like a mirage, can be touched, held, and interacted with (assuming she is focused, confident, and experienced with that illusion in particular).Β These visions, made of pure fantasy and energy, radiate a slight warmth β only a degree or two higher than a normal body temperature. To the touch, neither human nor vampire can pass through one of Divina's visual deceptions β but, the feeling of an apparition against one's skin is... a bit off, in a way you likely can't quite articulate; it's that dreamlike feeling of touch, when a sensation is both not at all and entirely real at once, when the slip of silk over your shoulders doesn't soothe like you remember, when a kiss from a phantom lover leaves your lips lonelier than before.
STRENGTHS
What she pictures in her mind's eye, Divina is able to visually project to any person or persons in her sight. This can be a single dance partner, or a theater full of thousands. She can choose to target an individual within a crowd, the crowd in its entirety, or a specific selection of people.
They do not need to see her, she must only see them. Divina can opt to keep herself hidden and paint an illusion for an unknowing victim, helping her maintain her own deniability. Through continued implantations of realistic-seeming illusions, Divina can deceive and manipulate in deep ways β incepting the idea of war into a general's head with subliminal imagery; plastering the town square in propaganda advertising her own cause; haunting a lover until they believe they've gone mad. Had that boy who cried "wolf" reallyΒ seen a beast? Of course he had; she'd conjured it away before the villagers and their pitchforks arrived, and let them lock him up a liar.
She is able to create visions of anythingΒ β her only limit is her own knowledge and creativity. Most items (and most Hokueians) she can conjure by memory now, but with an image to reference, any real-world object or person is within the realm of her capabilities. Should she choose to steer towards the fantastical, any nonexistent thing that can be thought, she can bring to imitation-life β fairy-tale creatures, otherworldly landscapes, even skyscrapers of sculpted solid ruby. Like muscle memory, her levels of skill and ease with a particular visual illusion grow each time she practices. Familiar illusions, or representations of things she knows well by memory, take significantly less focus and are much easier to multitask through.
She struggled with permanence in the beginning; her visions were weakly strung together, and when touched would dematerialize like weightless particles into the air. Over years of honing and training, Divina has finally mastered the art of getting her illusions to stay put through interactions with others. They can be held, danced with, whatever one might do with a real trinket or treasure. They will only dematerialize when she wills them to, or when confusion/fatigue come to claim her.
Deception proves helpful in combat. She can look a foe in the eye and conjure the image of the largest, most daunting weapon in her memory; her bluff of a sword won't leave a scratch, but often the threat is enough. Divina's power proves to be most effective defensively. She can create smokescreens and other blockades, only visible to enemy eyes. She can fill a foe's vision with distractions small and large, from a single deadly spider perched on their palm to a stampede of angry elephants. To evade an enemy, Divina will conjure countless copies of herself and disappear amongst them; she can choose to do the same for any of her allies, but never has. It takes a lot of energy, ok??
WEAKNESSES
There are many factors that determine how exhausting an illusion may be for Divina to cast, or how successful she may be at it:
Audience: Does she create this vision for one, or one thousand?
Scale: A modest shooting star, or a galaxy containing galaxies?
Time: For a minute, or for a month?
Focus: Is she simultaneously in conversation or song, or is she free to fully concentrate?
Interactivity: Will it only be looked at, or must its deception withstand touch?
Familiarity: Does she envision something unknown, or does she know this image by heart?
Creativity: Does this thing exist in the universe, or must she create it in her mind?
All of these factors come into play at any given time. Small, everyday illusions can be carried on for weeks or even months without exhaustion; large illusions cast for large groups, over the course of multiple hours, will begin to compromise her. (It takes about the same energy to cast an intricate, extremely personal illusion for a single person, as it does to create general decor and spectacle for a theatre full. Neither of these would bring her to a point of noticeable exhaustion; they'd feel like the equivalent of a brisk but invigorating walk.)
She may become dizzy or confused when she first grows weary, and visual elements of her illusions might begin to glitch like old static. Her ears will ring, and her hearing will fade. This is a sign, and if she chooses to ignore it, she will likely faint as a result. It could take multiple days for her to wake; the longest she's remained comatose for is about a week.
Even if she maintains consciousness, the physical and mental exhaustion plague Divina when she pushes herself too far. An intense conjuring may leave her to retreat to her private chambers to rest, relax, and pamper herself for any number of hoursβor even days.
Her illusions are not real, they are not true physical manifestations. They can do no real harm, and will always disappear when Divina no longer has her target in view. She brings very little offensive power to a fight; the guise of a faux sword is not nearly the same kind of weapon as the real thing. Not that she knows how to wield either one.
Recreations of smell and taste still evade her abilities, and anything that ruins the immersion of her spells dissatisfies her. Yes, she can conjure a basket of fresh berries, but what of it if she can't smell the dew-drops that kiss their speckled cheeks or taste their honeyed juice? Her craft is not yet perfected, and so she is not yet happy. A target may discern that the vision they see of their loved one is not real, because they lack that loved one's signature scent.
For one to see Divina's visions, they must remain in her sight. Her illusions do not persist after she has left a room or space. Β She can't maintain an illusion from an out-of-sight distance, while she is turned away from her victim, or while she's asleep. If her target is able to successfully hide from her sight, they can escape her images.
Her projections exist in the physical world, not in the mind of the recipient. Thus, her target must be able to perceive physical space. Her power has nearly no effect against the blind or visually impaired.
Her illusions can't be seen with your eyes closed, though they can continue to scream or shout and cause auditory disturbances. They still canβt be walked through; running into an illusion feels like running into a soft but sturdy blockade.
She can't affect dreams.
Her illusions do not persist after she is gone; for one to see Divina's visions, she must keep them in view. She can't maintain an illusion from an out-of-sight distance, while she is turned away from her victim, or while she is asleep.
She cannot alter reality, or take away from it; she can only add to what stage already exists in the physical world. In smaller, more confined spaces, there are greater limits on the grandiosity of what she can create.
It isn't possible to conjure an accurate image of what she doesn't know or can't remember well. If Divina has never seen an image of your sister, she cannot show her to you; she's not a mind reader. She can do her best to guess, but anything unfamiliar requires a reference if she's to depict it accurately. If she tries to present an image she does not remember well, she may slip up on visual details and give the illusion away.
FUNCTION
Divina has performed at the Hokuei Opera Theater since her arrival 13 years ago. She uses her ability to enhance her vocal performances on a small and large scale. Twice a week she performs two numbers in a cabaret of Hokueian talent, accompanied by lavish illusionary effects β a twirling orchestra of instruments that play by themselves, backdrops of golden sunset, visions of rose-tinted fantasy. Β It's all a preview for her much more elaborate solo show, which plays once a week.
There are four operas that Divina has perfected as a one-woman show β meaning, she can surround her lone body on an empty stage with the illusion of a full cast and set, and keep her audience under her spell until she and she alone takes a final bow. As such a spectacle often wears her down for the better part of a week, she performs them quarterly: each show, once per year.
In addition to her position as a cornerstone of Hokueian entertainment, Divina works for her House in recruitment and diplomatic relations. Her gift makes her an excellent liaison or ambassador to other Houses, and even better at drawing in powerful humans to be turned; she shows them their fantasies, and they follow without question.
In her daily life, she's almost always using her power for something β to charm a stranger, to trick a rival, to adorn herself with the image of jewels the earth could never naturally produce. Sometimes she likes to make it obvious β to play with a miniaturized replica galaxy between her fingertips like one would twirl loose strands of hair. Often, though, it's in subtle manipulations β placing the mirage of a lipstick stain onto a clean white collar, simply to watch the fallout.
Divina has realized over the years that her gift is valuable. That which has value, people will pay for. She operates a little-known service, one that is only whispered of as rumor in high-powered circles β she'll paint you the vision of your dreams. Come to her with whatever images, descriptions, and items you may have to help her visualize, and she will show you whatever you wish to see β a reunion with a loved one lost too soon, a visit to a childhood home destroyed by fire, a fantasy of success that this world will never allow you to achieve. She will make it real β for a moment, and for a price. She accepts neither blood nor blood yen for this service, only the promise of a favor of equal measure. This is a debt, she makes clear. Should anyone not wish to pay when she comes to collect the service she is owed, they must remember, this is the woman who brought their phantom desires to life. It stands to reason, she can also raise their nightmares.
OTHER
She'd been a vampire for about a year before discovering her power. Dancing in a daydream behind her dressing room door, she imagined it all β roses thrown at her feet, adoring letters cluttering her vanity, diamonds the size of walnuts hanging from her ears. She envisioned it, and suddenly, she saw it. Even after this, it took several more months for her to understand the full scope of her gift and how it applies to others.
Her power is common knowledge amongst most of Hokuei, and this is by her design. Divina wants the city to know what she's capable of, and will often subtly show this off during a conversation by toying with beautiful blends of lights, colors, and shapes between her fingers.
There are many nights where she will indulge in plenty of fine wine (or perhaps something else mind-numbing), dress in her best, and surround herself with a dreamscape of fantasy. She'll find someplace sprawling and let her desire lead, and in her state of haze and trance she'll cast her spell and visualize everything she's ever wanted. For a night, she'll let her hold on the real go and give in to beautiful delusion, where everything is perfect, where she plays every part and knows how it ends.Β
At 52, she's Baby, especially compared to most other vampires. I imagine Divina still has a long way to go in developing her power, and there's much she doesn't know about it yet. She knows she's never been able to test her full limits, mostly due to spacial limitations. There's a field outside of the city, empty and vast, that she will sometimes use as a training sandbox. She's trying to see if she can eventually create a convincing replica of the full city block the Opera Theater sits on.
She wears a custom bracelet at all times β a simple gold band, with a large silver sphere adorned in the center. Its reflection allows Divina to see 360Β° around her at all times, so she can maintain illusions in a crowded room or space even when her back is turned to some. She can also see her own reflection in the bracelet, allowing her to enchant herself and join an illusion at any time.
Her jealous, competitive spirit leads her to use her gift in the human world more often than she should. Shortly after being turned, Divina resumed her tour. There were two fellow performers who would eventually face her green-eyed wrath. The first was Divina's roommate on tour, her understudy, a woman she suspected was whispering amongst the chorus of a coup; she tormented her with apparitions of snakes against her skin and blood dripping from the walls. She was examined by the doctor, and relieved from the production due to psychosis and paranoia. The second was a co-star, one Divina had been asked to share the stage with. With her, Divina played a titillating game of emperor's new clothes β swiping the costume from her dressing room and replacing it with an identical illusion meant only for her eyes. The audience roared as she stepped on stage in only her mismatched undergarments, a night the papers would write about for weeks. Both girls left the entertainment business after the events in question.
Rising from the flesh of unholy divinity, SHE has sworn loyalty to the HOUSE OF BEETLE as an IMPURE BLOOD vampire. Blessed by the blood moon, her power comes from her SIGHT.Β Turned at the age of TWENTY-NINE, she has walked the earth for FIFTY-TWO YEARS.
POWER
Faux illusions, elaborate guises, a skill thatβs highly valued for its deception, youβre capable of painting whatever image you choose to project to your targets. Anything can exist, weave the characters - mold a dreamscape netted in lies. The most fanciful stories can dance to life, a world made by your storytelling alone. Beckon closer to the delusions, it feels so real itβs almost believable. But as the art develops in complexity and grows in scale, the more energy it takes for you to focus, often at the cost of your stamina. Often times for elaborate creations, it drains all energy and results in immense fatigue. But fear not, the stage will reset again and again, one visual seduction after the next.Β
HISTORY
A GREAT AND BEAUTIFUL THING, YOU WERE LONG DEFINED BY A VORACIOUS HUNGER TO SWALLOW PERFECTION. The world you knew at birth was speckled with hardship and struggles, the you then knew destitution like second nature. Β The only escape from such a cold cruel world came with Godβs one gift, slender delicate features matched with lithe limbs, how envious all would be of your loveliness. From your humble origins, you grew as the years passed, a dazzling flower in bloom as you took center stage. You sang for opera houses and twirled your embellished dresses - dancing the evening away as if you were born blue blooded. You became a lady of high society, all fawned about you - waltzing about with an air of fraudulent aristocracy. The smiles, the awe, how delicious it all was. But one taste was enough - an addiction to be more tethered you into a world inhuman.
You were convinced that becoming a creature of the night would propel you into divinity. Flawless and immortalized, history would remember you forever. What a foolish dream for a pretty woman with a blackened heart. The ritual was done and yet you were a disappointment, an inferior vampress among your brethen of haughty elite nobility - your blood defective. It was then that you realized how cruel your new world was. You were second at best. Such a consequence was revolting, entirely unpalatable for your refined lips. Perhaps you were spoiled, perhaps entitled - but you knew the blinding radiance of superiority, it coursed through your veins like an addiction. Purity was the crown you desired. Yet your fate made a mockery of you, abandoning you to your shallowness - your imperfections were rooted deep beyond your flesh. Perhaps the only solace youβll have is human ignorance - to them were you still unblemished. Oh if they only knew. Every rose has its thorns and you were no exception.
CONNECTIONS
FOG HUNTRESS β ( WITH MY HAND, TAKE ME THEE )Β
You see them as an opportunity most promising - they could be the redemption of your defiled image. You knew they saw something within you that you donβt even truly understand. It was they who shielded you once and it sparked something alive again in your unbeating heart. What a curiosity and strangeness, it beckons you further. Perhaps it is selfish fascination, you want them to fit within the hard cut mold of your ambitions. A proposal dances on the tip of your tongue - bind by me and forever I shall serve as you unto me.
IVORY SLAYERΒ β (Β TOGETHER WE LIE THROUGH OUR TEETH )Β
Only he knew devotion as well as you did. To the public he is the handsome suitor of a renown beauty, a fairytale spun to sell a fabricated reality. He plays the part of your besotted partner with devilish charm to amass the hearts of almost all. You knew better than to bite the hand that fed you, after all, a beauty doesnβt snarl or bare her fangs. Beneath the curtain of faux smiles and practiced foot work - youβve long despised him. He was merely a guarantee of your continuous fame and reputation - as you are to him. If it werenβt for such lucrative opportunities, you knew you wouldβve grasped at his skin, tearing it apart to reveal the monstrosity of what he truly is.
TAR BATTLEBORNΒ β ( IF CRUELTY WERE A KNIFE, YOUβD BE A SWORD )Β
You have a past riddled with secrets. But perhaps the one most threatening to your existence was the child you bore when you were once human. It is the last thing that tied you to the time when you loved. Perhaps there was a semblance of maternal ferocity that compelled you to protect them. You knew how dangerous it was if such information were to ever unravel - a fate crueler than death would await. But he knows. And he holds it to your throat, the hilt getting closer and closer - your choices are limited. You hold your tongue but how deep the depths of your anger illuminate from your thick lashes. Hatred tasted vile.
This skeleton is TAKENΒ by JadeΒ and is portrayed by RENATA NOTNI.
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