So good to see you here again! <3 Can I get 1, 7, and 10 for Cioffi?
<3 Happy to be back! :) And yes, absolutely!
1. What was the original thought that led to the creation of this character?
From what I remember, I was looking at creating an asura character (my first one at the time), and I was trying to figure out what their deal would be. I remembered the whole asura-Primordus situation and then thought, "You know, we don't really see Primordus corruption because that's not so much how he works usually, but what would that look like if we did?" And then Cio formed from there!
7. What is an aspect of their appearance that you like the most?
Her eyes are super neat to me (I love the idea of eyes looking like they're burning/on fire in a literal sense, plus the way they fit with the rest of her face design)! Not the only thing I like about her appearance for sure, but it's one of them!
Honorable mention goes to her hair, mostly because of its change due to her connection to Primordus (in terms of going from significantly too hot to just warm after Primordus' death), though I do like her hairstyle as well.
10. What is their main character arc in the story? Where do they start and how do they develop? Do they get a happy ending or is their story a tragic one?
Cio's arc is in a couple different directions. The first, and most overarching, is her journey from thinking that she's a monster in some way because of her connection to Primordus -> pretending that she doesn't think that because it's better than letting people see that she's vulnerable to that sort of insult -> truly believing that she's her own person regardless -> extending that to others struggling with similar things as she is.
There's a secondary arc in there related to her dealing with grief, which is a little less straightforward. Her parents died before she was old enough to remember them, but her older brother Pliarr does, and his grief and their absence shapes her childhood even though that's not what he wants to happen. Then, when she joins the Priory, she falls in love with Sieran, loses her at Claw Island, and has to deal with her own grief for the first time. I say this is less straightforward because I can point out a path with the first bit, but this one is mostly just her learning to live with and move past grief. For example, she eventually falls for Ari, but that doesn't mean she doesn't still carry grief for Sieran. (Hopefully I'm phrasing this in a way that makes sense!)
Yes, she gets a happy ending! :) I haven't played through the most recent story stuff yet (though I know something about the storylines), but I know she and Ari set up shop in Lion's Arch--mostly a repair/design place for weaponry, but they also take on odd jobs from time to time.