"Ophelia Hollows has spent her life walking path of deceive and illusion, spinning lies as easily as breathing. A master of deception, she once only pretended to speak with the dead—until they started speaking back. Now, she treads the shadows between the living and the dead, never certain which world she truly belongs to."
Ophelia Hollows hails from a family of Con-Artists. At the age of eight years, her older brother Caleb (eighteen at that time) decided to run away with her, after breaking into an argument with their mother about the abuse the family suffered from their stepfather.
Sorely reliying on each other, traveling from one place to another, Caleb teached Ophelia all sorts of trickery, theft and fraud. When Caleb noticed the widespread fascination with the supernatural and séances, he began pretending to communicate with spirits. He exploited grieving people, particularly those desperate to reconnect with deceased loved ones for closure.
When Ophelia turned fourteen, things took a dark turn. Her brother conned the wrong people, leading to a violent confrontation that ended in his murder. During the incident, Ophelia herself nearly died, experiencing her first brush with death. After that near-death experience, Ophelia’s perception began to shift. She developed an unwanted and genuine connection to the dead, allowing her to see ghostly figures and hear their voices.
Over the following years, Ophelia experienced many more near-death experiences. Time and time again, she survived circumstances that no ordinary person should have been able to—accidents, violent encounters, and brushes with death that left her shaken but alive. These experiences only deepened her connection to the spirit world, blurring the line between life and death in her mind.
Despite the unease her abilities brought, she carried on her deceptive practices, adopting various aliases. Until one day, she received a strange invitation addressed to her real name, promising her a way to control her unsettling abilty to track her brothers spirit.
PERSONALITY
Ophelia is, above all, a master manipulator and yet equally charismatic woman. Lies slip into her words as naturally as breath, she instinctively knows what people want to hear and how to deliver it, drawing them in with practiced ease.
Her skeptical nature and need for control makes it challenging for her to place trust in others, as she believes everyone is driven by their own agenda. She finds comfort in the feeling of always being three steps ahead of others and maintains this by digging into people’s lives, uncovering secrets she can use to her advantage—or, if necessary, as leverage. Teamwork isn’t one of her strong suits as she has little to no hesitation about betraying someone if it ensures her own survival.
Despite the friendly and charismatic persona she projects outwardly, in truth Ophelia is far more introverted, sticking to herself and preferring to observe from the sidelines rather than immerse herself in the situation, having to decide first if getting involved is worth it.
Beneath this crafted mask, is a woman struggling with severe depression and a fragile psyche. Ophelia perceives her ability to sense spirits and hear the voices of the dead as a form of torment, often believing it to be punishment for the lies she and her brother once told about their abilities. She has no control over which spirits appear to her, which frequently causes her intense stress and, at times, even panic attacks, as some spirits can be exceedingly intrusive or, in rare cases, outright malicious. Often she experiences intense nightmares and sleep paralyses that leave her wondering and paranoid if she is even still alive.
She has idolized her brother since childhood and has never truly come to terms with his sudden death. She struggles with a sense of emptiness, haunted by the feeling that she will never measure up to him, never be as untouchable or brilliant as him. The fact that she has never seen Caleb’s spirit or heard his voice torments her deeply, as it remains her most heartfelt wish.
I don't know if i actually see her as a part of the BLK team, but she would at least still be afflicted with the them.
(More rambling and thoughts about what she would be like under the cut)
First off: In this AU, older brother Caleb would be still alive, but he would still have been her caretaker because their mom still sucks. This means a lot of her trauma wouldn't be present and thereof she is less bitter and more of her playful but still cunning personality would shine through.
Since BLK seems to be college club, I see Ophelia major in something related to cybersecurity.
Her professors admire her skill but absolutely do not trust her. For a price she offers her hacking skills to her classmates. Of course... she would still use her skills for scams but also to collect dirt and blackmail of others.
She would most likely not have her abilities to see and hear ghosts in this AU, but have an interest in the occult (I'm unsure about taking her ability away yet but storywise it wouldn't make much sense)
When it comes to gaming, she would be the type to love discovering all types of bugs and glicthes. Also she would make sure to throughly study a characters kit and use them to their max abilities.
What characters do you ship with your oc? And why?
Do you have a favorite character to pair her with?
What is her favorite food?
Does she likes sweet?
What is her favorite memory?
What are her hobbies?
Did she ever have an enjoyable encounter with a ghost?
That's it, Bye!!
Hello! I hope you're having a wonderful day as well! Thank you for all the great questions 💜
sorry i kinda of went overboard on the first one but i have SO MANY thoughts on this one... also sorry it took so long to answer, shorty after this i got sick again orz
What characters do you ship Ophelia with and why ?
Ophelia is shipped with both Aesop and Andrew, individually and as a poly ship. However, I tend to focus more on her relationship with Aesop, as the ideas and writing for them come more naturally to me.
Ophelia and Aesop are both characters deeply tied to the concept of death, yet their perspectives on it are fundamentally opposed.
Ophelia fears death—no matter how many times she brushes against it, she remembers the pain, the terror, and the uncertainty of whether she’ll actually die this time or remain caught between worlds. She has witnessed spirits linger, descending into madness rather than finding peace, and part of her fears that this is the fate that awaits her as well once her time finally comes.
Aesop, on the other hand, has a more reverent and romanticized view on death—he perceives death as beautiful, something that is inevitable and a freeing final act of peace rather than tragedy. To him, it’s not just an end—it’s a form of release from suffering, a final state of perfection where pain, fear, and imperfection cease to exist.
Their opposing perspectives create conflict, tension, and fascination. Aesop believes Ophelia is "cheating death” and sees her survival as a defiance of the natural order, that fascinates and unsettles him in equal measure. Ophelia on the other hand is disturbed by his calmness and acceptance of death but at the same time intrigued.
Their personalities contrast yet complement each other.
Ophelia is charismatic, cunning, and quick-witted. She is strategic but also bold and reckless in her actions, thriving in high-stakes situations where adaptability gives her the upper hand. She takes risks, sometimes acting impulsively without fully considering the consequences.
Aesop is reserved, methodical, and deeply rooted in structure. He values order and tradition, preferring calculated actions and relying on logic over spontaneity. He can be a bit more stoic and socially avoidant, he often struggles with expressing emotions and tends to keep others at a distance.
Despite their differences, they share an undeniable connection. They both grew up very isolated:
Aesop was expelled from school very early on and spend most of his time being Jerry's apprentience in the morgue/funeral home, being considered a social outcast and avoided due to his autism.
Meanwhile Ophelia, even before Caleb's death was used to a life on the run and never visted a school in the first place, she was taught early on that she can't trust anyone else than her brother.
Neither of them is truly sure of their place in the world and feel like they just have to carry on and play the roles life has given them.
Their relationship is a constant push and pull. In the beginning there's a lot of thrilling mind games, manipulation and power plays. Ophelia is used to controlling people through deception, but Aesop sees through her facade. Meanwhile, Aesop tries to subtly break her down by talking about embalming her and what an honor it would be etc., testing how she reacts. It’s a game, where neither wants to show weakness, but both are intrigued by the challenge. As well as an almost eerie artist and muse dynamic.
What begins with unease, paranoia, and rivalry slowly transforms into understanding, reluctant trust, and, eventually… love. A deep, complex, and unyielding love. They pretend they don’t need anyone, yet they keep being drawn back to each other. There's an unspoken mutual understanding between them despite everything, a feeling of "No one could ever understand me like you do."
There's a lot of yearning and devotion for each other.
(I will keep it at this for the sake of not making this section any longer, but I'm more than open to answer follow up asks on this if people are interested in some more, or as well her relationship with Andrew)
Do you have a favorite character to pair her with ?
While Aesop and Andrew are the only "canon" partners i consider for her, there are a few crackships with a few other characters and friends ocs but i don't treat them was very serious and only as fun ideas to play around with. (Can't really think of any romantic examples right now tho)
Platonically i also think about exploring her relationship with Ivy and Richard (Since I'm considering if he should be tied to Caleb)
Also since i tend to write her as a part of group 3, i also like to think about what her relationship with Annie, Victor and Ganji would be like.
What is her favorite food ?
Ophelia enjoys meat pies for their easy portability and accesability, they're filling and perfect for her normadic lifestyle. Another favorite would be bubble and squeak, which is essentially just leftover vegetables like poatoes and cabbage mashes and fried together into a crispy hash.
Overall i think Ophelia wouldn't be picky about her food, given the circumstances she grew up under. Sure, she might seek out more extravagant food if given the chance but it's not a must for her.
Does she likes sweets ?
Yes, i think she would enjoy toffee. She would always have some on her for when she needs it to calm herself down after stressful situtations life throws at her. When she has access to it she would also enjoy marzipan or almond cakes.
What is her favorite memory ?
All of Ophelia’s fondest memories are deeply tied to her older brother, Caleb. Her favorite moments aren’t the high-stakes cons or the constant moving from place to place, but the rare, quiet and peaceful times they shared in between. Caleb had a habit of stealing little treats and gifts for her—small luxuries that made their unpredictable life feel a little more normal. For example he would steal marzipan or almond cakes for her that they would enjoy together.
Another example would be the moment she was gifted her hairclip from him, a beautiful accessory that is also cleverly designed to conceal lock-picking tools, something he altered himself.
What are her hobbies?
This was a particularly interesting question because i must confess i often struggle with not giving my ocs the same 3 hobbies lol, so this one really helped me figuring stuff out.
I think her hobbies probably would fall under everything that could be useful for her work as a con artist. To further perfecting her dexterity she practices lock picking in her spare time, it's like second nature to her at this point and she finds the precision of it oddly calming.
People-watching & eavesdropping would also be on the list. Ophelia enjoys sitting in busy places—cafés, train stations, markets—watching how people move, listening to conversations, and picking up on little habits. It helps her refine her disguises and personas.
On top of that she also tends to shadow other peoples work, something she does with Aesop. She claims she has no interest in embalming or funerary practices, yet she still lingers around Aesop’s work, asking the occasional question—sometimes out of curiosity, sometimes just to pester him a little. She pretends it doesn’t interest her, but she listens closely... and Aesop in turn secretly is delighted to answer her questions. (It also helps her distract from the unease of being in the morgue/funeral home, where lingering spirits could be present!)
Based on all of this i can see her enjoy riddles or games that require strategical thinking such as chess.
A more secret hobby of her is her fondness for dark, dramatic stories, especially gothic novels and crime mysteries. Allthough she would NEVER admit it.
Did she ever have an enjoyable encounter with a ghost ?
Most of Ophelia's encounters with ghosts are unsettling, thus she prefers to not get involved with them in the first place. However when dealing with children spirits she finds them more tragic than terrifying.
There was one incident where she was traveling through the street during night and encountered a seemingly lost child, a small figure sitting alone on the steps of an abandoned house. At first, she assumes it's just a normal child, but when she gets closer, she realizes no one else seems to notice them.
The ghost girl tells Ophelia she is waiting for her parents, and Ophelia quickly notices the child probably doesn’t realize that she’s dead. This sparks an unusual feeling of sympathy within her, so she sits down next to her and listens to her story.
The girl remembers her mother’s lullaby, but she can’t remember her mother’s face. So, Ophelia hums the tune for her, watching as the child’s form flickers, as if the memory is helping her move on. When she’s gone, Ophelia feels a strange warmth and a feeling lightness in her chest.
For the first time, Ophelia doesn’t feel like she’s being haunted. She feels like she’s helping and as if her ability could maybe more than just a curse to her.
Ophelia likes so present herself as this untouchable ice queen, someone who needs no one nor feels any sympathy for others. But the truth is she has a soft spot, especially when it comes to children. Those who come from a background similar to hers, who remind her of her own childhood, tend to awaken these emotions in her.
BLK skins trailer boosted my motivation to finally work on a modern design for Ophelia. It's weird seeing her without her braid but i want to experiment a bit.
