#swynrosas

[lady-snow-flower]

NAME: Song Xuemei Snow Song HOMETOWN: La Ciudad de Rosas / The Fairy's Vengeance OCCUPATION: Pirate YOUR WISH: To have the beauty deserving of a king WHAT YOU GAVE UP: Her weight in gold YOUR UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCE: People coveted her beauty as they would power and gold, forcing Snow to be hidden in a tower on the shores of Crescent Lake. Even her own father because covetous LOYALIST/REBEL/OTHER: Rebel/pirate

BIOGRAPHY: Song Xuemei was an investment. 

Her parents were humble merchants who traveled to Rosas in hopes of living a more stable life under the rule of the magical and benevolent King Magnifico. When they had their daughter, they did so with the promise of her wish in mind. One day, Xuemei would grow up and use her wish wisely. It would secure her future and the future of her family.

And so Xuemei grew– and as she grew, she studied diligently and drafted wish after wish. It was a family pursuit: finding that perfect wish to elevate their status. Eventually, they found one that would ensure that Xuemei would attract the perfect husband. On her 18th birthday, Xuemei received her birthright.

But it backfired.

Yes, she had all the attention her parents could wish for– but it was too much. After one man broke into their home and nearly killed Xuemei’s father, they relocated their daughter to a remote house on Crescent Lake. For years, Xuemei lived almost entirely alone, besides visits from her parents, while her parents vetted suitor after suitor. Xuemei begged for a match–any match. But her father refused. Though he claimed to be waiting for a match worthy of her, she learned that he was using her beauty to amass a small fortune– selling off pictures, her perfume, even strands of her hair collected from her hairbrush. 

Freedom came from an unexpected place. Pirates discovered where she was hidden. They overpowered the security system and snatched Snow away. They planned to ransom her off but she begged not to be taken back to her lonely life. The Captain relented and agreed to leave her on their next stop across the sea. 

But on the journey there, she fell in love. First, with the sea– its wildness, its breath, its sunrises. Then, with the crew, watching their camaraderie and craving some of it for herself. And last, with the captain’s first mate, who was as dangerous as the ocean and who loved her passionately. They quickly agreed to marry. When the ship docked, she left Xuemei on the shores– with rumors of her death. And then the Pirate Snow Song was reborn, sailing off into her new life with no walls in sight.

[thehuntress-rose]

NAME: Lady Rose Whitman HOMETOWN: La Ciudad de Rosas OCCUPATION: Pirate YOUR WISH: the freedom to choose her own life WHAT YOU GAVE UP: her nobility YOUR UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCE: her family and friends no longer recognize her LOYALIST/REBEL/OTHER: The Fairy’s Vengeance BIOGRAPHY:

Once upon a time the wild Rose used to be a fair faced lady. Prim and proper, always kept her ankles crossed and skirts smoothed out. But it was never what she wanted. Keeping her lips closed and her hand open for marriage wasn’t something she dreamed of like her parents wanted for her. She dreamed of the day of her Wishing Ceremony. The day she could wish it all away.

And when she did the consequences were near immediate. Rose expected disappointment from her parents, from her friends of nobility. However, when she met with them after the ceremony to ask forgiveness (never permissions), they didn’t know who she was… It was as if they couldn’t see how her face was a perfect blend of their own, they couldn’t recognize their own blood. Rose didn’t have to go back to her family estate or marry a man she loathed because they didn’t know who she was. She didn’t have a plan or a home but she had all the opportunity in the world. The once noble girl found herself in Pirate’s Peninsula and on board a ship as a deckhand. Now, years later, she’s back in La Ciudad de Rosas and wonders if she might see some familiar faces… and if they will even recognize her.

[starring-minnie]

NAME: Queen Minerva Muyskens HOMETOWN: Sanctus Sanguis, Sanguisina OCCUPATION: Queen of Sanguisina LOYALIST/REBEL/OTHER: Foreign Dignitary BIOGRAPHY:

Over the cerulean expanse of the Faraway Sea, a queendom of unrivaled beauty was nestled in between two oceans. A ruby among sapphires. Unbeknownst to every soul outside of the royal court, and a few choice nobles, the entire country was run by vampires. Both queens surrounded themselves in jewels and blood. Hot blooded, hot bodied individuals kept them great company. They indulged on their people and made sure they were fed and well in return. It was a mutually beneficial relationship, and that’s how Minnie believed the world should work… but she wouldn’t let her small minded citizens truly know what earned them their peace.

Minnie ruled alongside her lover of a century, Daisy. After all that time on the top of the food chain, she grew accustomed to a certain lifestyle. Lavish and indulgent. The queen looked forward to her diplomatic visit to La Ciudad de Rosas. On paper the queens were visiting to reinforce their alliance with the kingdom, but personally Minnie was excited to taste the wonders from this side of the world.

[dian-morey]

NAME: Dr. Dian Morey HOMETOWN: La Ciudad de Rosas OCCUPATION: Doctor YOUR WISH: to be able to give the best care to all of his patients WHAT YOU GAVE UP: his attention outside of a procedure YOUR UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCE: he is now singularly focused and can only work on one issue at a time…  LOYALIST/REBEL/OTHER: Other, he has his own problems to deal with over the Kingdom’s  BIOGRAPHY:

Wished to give the best care to all his patients, but care had nothing to do with solutions. 

Dian Morey was the eldest to a pair of saints. His parents opened a place for all to come to and find a warm seat and a hot meal. They taught him how to care about others. He respected them and all the children they took in, all the people that came to know them as Mama and Papa. However, his interest lay more with the medical than with cooking or crafting. Dian wanted to care for people in a different way. So he studied under an apothecary and a mortician. He learned how to treat the people of Ciudad de Rosas of their ills while his parents treated their hearts. 

His heart is what ultimately needed treatment when he met Jessica, though. She was not well and it drove him mad. His chest ached and he was reading until his mind was weary to try and cure her of this affliction. How could someone so special be made to suffer like this? With his promise to cure her, he spent many a night in the Forest of Selva looking for rarer plants with properties unlike any other. It was unfortunate that his wish counted plucking delicate petals as a procedure… a vampire attacked him and Dian didn’t get away with his life. He was forever changed, but his love for Jessica hadn’t. Curing the love of his life would simply need to be a nighttime activity now.

[euterpe-of-hesiod]

NAME: Carolina Linnet HOMETOWN: Selva, the Enchanted Forest OCCUPATION: Music-talent fairy YOUR WISH: N/A WHAT YOU GAVE UP: N/A YOUR UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCE: N/A

LOYALIST/REBEL/OTHER: Neutral/maybe a rebel...

BIOGRAPHY: Carolina was born into the Selva Hollow. She discovered her talent early, singing along with all of Selva's songbirds and earning her new name -- Linnet. As she grew, so did her beautiful voice, as did her love for her Hollow. Yes, every now and then, when humans entered the forest, she sat in the branches to watch them. And yes, sometimes, when she saw the humans were lost and frightened, she sang gentle melodies to help them sleep.

But otherwise, Linnet was content with her life. No wish could tempt her to leave the forest.

And then, Linnet woke up.

And when she did, she remembered a much, much different life, in a different time and place, and knew she was living in a literal, damn fairytale. Well! She was no Rosas fairy, that's for damn sure! You can take the girl out the mountain, but you can't take the mountain out the girl.

Linnet's heading into town to get her real voice back.

[bullseye-stoddard]

NAME: William "Bullseye" Stoddard HOMETOWN: Originally from a faraway land, currently living in La Ciudad de Rosas OCCUPATION: Royal Stablemaster for King Magnifico YOUR WISH: N/A LOYALIST/REBEL/OTHER: Loyalist BIOGRAPHY:

William Stoddard was born and raised in a faraway land, living a peaceful life with his parents and helping to tend the family farm. His father taught him all he needed to know about caring for animals, and he also taught him the finer points of archery. His skill with the latter led to his father nicknaming him "Bullseye," which quickly stuck. Things went well until the day brigands came, destroying their farm and killing his parents. Bullseye was able to escape, but had nowhere to go, and he spent several long years doing anything he could to make a living.

Eventually, he was able to earn enough to buy a small plot of land of his own, and he married and started a family. Again things went well until the day brigands came. Only this time, they were not human brigands. They were vampires. Again Bullseye found his farm destroyed and his family taken from him, despite his best efforts to fight off the vampires. They could have killed him as easily as they had done to his wife and child, but his determination impressed the vampires, and they chose to turn him instead. But that was a fate worse than death for Bullseye, especially as the vampires forced him to become part of their outlaw gang, making him commit many awful acts as they embarked on a reign of terror.

Bullseye felt horrible for being party to this, and one day, he finally managed to escape from the vampires. He knew that they would never stop hunting him if he remained his homeland, nevermind the fact that he was ashamed to stay there knowing how many peoples' lives he had damaged or destroyed. So he took passage on a ship and eventually arrived in Rosas to start a new life, one in which no one knew what he really was or the terrible things he had done. In time, his skills with horses were noticed and he became the royal stablemaster for King Magnifico, and so he has been ever since, keeping his true nature secret and sticking to his vow never to hurt anyone again if he can help it.

[waitingona-mirabel]

NAME: Mirabel Madrigal HOMETOWN: Stargazing Plains OCCUPATION: Seamstress YOUR WISH: A magical gift that can help people WHAT YOU GAVE UP: The ability to get recognition for her work YOUR UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCE: Her gift was the ability to sew perfectly straight and strong stitches. Now she can't sew any unique designs because she can only sew in a straight line. LOYALIST/REBEL/OTHER: Loyalist, but she could certainly be convinced otherwise...

BIOGRAPHY:

When the Madrigals moved to Rosas and learned of the king's generous wish-granting, Mirabel knew exactly what she would wish for. She was the only one in her family without magic, and for years she'd felt useless. Of course she'd wish for a gift.

And she was thrilled when she received hers! She was, really! Now anyone who had their cloak torn in battle or their skirt frayed by years of use would have it mended, stronger than ever. It was far more useful than anything Mirabel could have dreamed of. She didn't mind that nobody seemed to remember it was her work, that nobody ever gave her credit. She was just happy to be helpful.

That's what Mirabel tells people, anyway. That's what she tells herself. But deep down, she's unhappy. She'd thought getting everything she ever wanted would be enough to finally make her happy. But she misses being creative with her sewing, and she's endlessly bored by the hours of mending that pile up in her little room.

Maybe wishing isn't all it's cracked up to be...

[amelia-o-gabble]

NAME: Lady Amelia Gabble HOMETOWN: La Ciudad de Rosas OCCUPATION: Lady/Spy YOUR WISH: to be magically perceptive WHAT YOU GAVE UP: her and her twin sister’s relationship YOUR UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCE: she is deeply aware of how people feel about her and the injustices of Magnifico’s rule when she would have otherwise lived a delightfully ignorant life LOYALIST/REBEL/OTHER: Rebel BIOGRAPHY:

Lady Amelia shouldn’t have had to worry about a thing all her life. Afterall, she was a lady in the great Ciudad de Rosas. Her days should have been spent preening and picking out gowns for balls. Except after her wish, Amelia became aware of many things around her. Half of the stuff she picked up on wasn’t salacious gossip or tidbits she could use to bend her adversaries to her will… it was everything everyone ever thought of her. It also clued her in on the general unhappiness in La Ciudad de Rosas. Others like her, wished for something they thought would change their life for the better only to have them twisted and become a chain to keep them down. 

What she gave up, what they all gave up, wasn’t worth it at all. Their trade wasn’t even and it was time Magnifico paid his due. Maybe with her cunning and the handsome advisor Amelia has a chance to make the King pay his debts.