Shae

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Shae
Posts: 69
Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2019 5:30 pm
Topics: 12
Race: Raen
: Too pretty for you
Character Sheet: Character Sheet
Writer: Maximus
Writer Profile: Writer Profile
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Fri Feb 01, 2019 8:10 am

Shae

Image

Race: Raen (Bastian Galdor)
Birthday: Hamis 3, 2701
Age: 19 (as of Hamis 2720; body's appearance of late teens/early 20s)
Gender: It's complicated...
FC: Bex Taylor-Klaus
Body's original inhabitant: Cordelia Gillespie (née Ambros)
Pronouns: She/Her by others, more often They/Them in their head
Place of Origin: Born near Bad Aisling
Current Location: Roaming
Occupation: Being pretty
Languages: Estuan (F), Sign (C), Monite (C), Tek (B)
Player Name: Maximus

Physical Description

Image

Quick Facts:
  • Height: 5'
  • Build: Petite
  • Hair colour: Black
  • Typical hairstyle: Spiked-up pixie cut, a little shaggy and uneven.
  • Eye colour: Grey-blue
  • Piercings: Earlobes pierced but no jewellery
What Shae originally looked like is of little concern to the casual, or even the more serious, observer. There's no reason why someone looking at the petite, five foot tall Bastian galdor woman should think that they had the soul of a strong, lanky sic-foot tall Anaxi wick man. However, it does matter to Shae, especially as they aren't yet used to the change in height, frame or sex and it means that there are a number of behaviours that look a bit out of place. In spite of looks, the raen is anything but dainty, and while they cannot move with the same ease and confidence as they once did (piloting a foreign body is hard work, man), there is still a distinct swagger to their movements. Their step also seems unusually heavy, a bit of a stomp, the mark of someone accustomed to a lot more weight and height and also not someone whose had to be too stealthy when walking down the street; they're working on it.

The former wick now finds themself in the possession of straight black hair instead of wavy auburn locks although their new hairstyle is considerably shorter than that to which they were once accustomed. Cordelia's originally shoulder-length ebony hair has been cropped almost to the butt at the back and sides of their head, a little more remaining at the front that spikes up, especially when Shae has run their hands through it. To those who knew the body's previous occupant, the change might temporarily throw them but Shae is still paranoid that they are still recognisable and they're definitely still feminine as well.

Green eyes have become a bright, grey-tinged blue, icy and sharp with intelligence. They're quite a striking feature and Shae has decided that they're quite taken with them. So taken with them in fact that they've taken to lining them with a kohl stick, an exercise that they weren't wholly unfamiliar with in their former life. Their nose is long, straight and narrow, slightly downturned at the end. It's hardly a cute button-nose but the raen doesn't think it looks half-bad, especially when paired with seashell cheekbones. The lips aren't overly full but they are finely shaped, the corners naturally tilted down although it is unusual to see them as such as a secretive smile or a smirk is commonplace on Shae's face. Even when they're concerned about something, a simple frown is rare, the raen more likely to twist one side of their mouth or blowing out a cheek as they ponder and worry. Contortions of every sort are a frequent part of their expressions, eyebrows tilting up or down, lips puffed out or twisted, jaw sometimes shifted from side to side as far as the bones will naturally permit.

Their face is oval in shape tapering to a rounded chin, the jaw well-defined but softened. Their overall features aren't delicate or dainty but they are sufficiently fine to be considered quite pretty, although they know that the body they inhabit wouldn't be considered a true beauty. They have youth on their side, quite a bit of it in fact and while Shae doesn't know how old Cordelia was, they don't think that she was more than 21 or 22, a regretful reminder every time they see themself in the mirror because by galdori standards she could have been little more than a child.

As bodies go, it's definitely... well, they appear to be a woman, it's confusing, and depending on the day, they might dress to highlight it or hide it. They do definitely have a preference for trousers and they hang well on small hips but they can occasionally be found in a skirt or in a dress. They often draw attention to their own chest as though modest in size, they can sometimes be found gazing down at it as if it's new to them.

For those who take the time to observe, there are quite a few indications that Shae isn't quite what they seem but what they might be hiding is likely to remain a mystery - unless you're in the know.


Personality

Outgoing, open-minded, easygoing and personable, Shae seems quite willing to talk to anyone although their rather easy style of speaking can sometimes give away more than they intend. They aren't actually comfortable at lying and are kind of terrible at it. While they do have the ability to be quite silver-tongued, having convinced many a person to do something that they didn't originally want to do, they tend to do so with a fair degree of honesty, incapable of telling a bald-faced lie but able to spin truth into new and more convenient shapes. When they do try to lie properly, it sounds laughable implausible and entirely unbelievable. They're not sure if it's something in their face or their voice but it's rare that people don't pick up on their lies.

While the undeath situation is obviously a difficult thing to cope with and come to terms with, the raen maintains a good sense of humour and a surprisingly positive outlook through it all. In spite of everything, they seem willing to see the best in a situation, often finding something good in even the worst situations as they make an effort to be optimistic through sheer bloodymindedness. As such, they frequently try to laugh off failures and misfortunes, and self-deprecating humour is a staple of theirs. It's also common for them to be enjoying a joke that other people don't seem to be in on.

While naturally quite talkative and open, the raen is also prone to bouts of introspection that makes them liable to forget about what's happening around them, leaving them zoned out and difficult to talk to although they can be pulled out of such states with effort. The truth is that they've always been a reflective type but their new situation has made that a bit more necessary; they have a lot to think about lately.

Some serious drawbacks to the raen include their impulsive nature which frequently leads them to do things that get them into trouble or do things that on reflection are a bit pointless and nonsensical, a penchant for vulgarity and a tendency to blow small things out of proportion.
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Racial Opinions
  • Galdori: As a race, galdori are erseholes and that is something that Shae can believe in with confidence. However, as individuals, they know that galdori can vary wildly and that not all of them were inherently disgusted by them in their original body - they had managed to charm their way into a few golly beds after all - and as such they're willing to consider each galdor as an individual. Being so easygoing, they're willing to let some degree of arrogance slide and a number of other annoying and sometimes quite negative traits and habits slide. All the same, there is a built-in wariness of members of this race, especially since they've become a raen as they are never certain if a galdor will recognise them - as Cordelia.
  • Wicks: Shae's original race, they obviously view them quite favourably overall. Not all wicks and witches are necessarily good as erseholes can crop up anywhere but they like to think that their former brethren are as open-minded, easygoing and as accepting as themself. They think of wicks as the most liberal of the races and so when they encounter those that are bigots or oppressive, they feel quite disappointed.
  • Humans: In their past life, Shae had plenty of interactions with humans and considered them to be as easy to get along with as their wick brethren. Albeit, they view humans as being far more conservative and unaccepting of many things, which frankly confuses the raen who cannot understand why they would take issue with what others do, who they love, how they express themselves and so on. In their present life, they are perhaps a little paranoid that they'll be read as galdor and it will result in some ill-feeling. They're equally worried that humans might not be accepting if they discovered their true nature either.
  • Passives: When Shae could still use magic, they saw it as an excellent complement to their daily living and as such, they have always pitied those born to magical blood who cannot utilise the mona because of the opportunities lost to them. However, they don't simply feel sorry for passives as they can still live quite full lives, much as humans do and it isn't as if it makes them lesser or incomplete. Additionally, they find themselves understanding their plight a bit better these days although they don't think that the mona so actively rejects passives.
  • Raen: Shae doesn't have any established opinions on the raen as until they became one, they didn't know that the undead race existed. They aren't certain if they're the only one, some unique glitch in the life cycle or if there might be others like them. What opinions they've formed are entirely in relation to themself and such opinions are conflicting and frequently changing. Depending on the day, they can view themself as something very, very wrong or as a victim. Their own continued existence is certainly tangled up in guilt, in spite of the circumstances for the acquisition of their body, and so their opinion in regard to body snatching leans towards the negative but they're also aware that it isn't a black and white issue. Basically, raen are complicated.

Backstory

Early years


Once upon a time, Shae was a boy. These days it might be more and more difficult to remember that fact or see it as more than a dream but this is certainly the case.

Their parents were a Red Crow wick and a tsat witch, which means that the relationship was ill-fated at best. Their father, Jerrod, was a smooth-tongued and talented musician and it was perhaps inevitable that their mother, Tessa, should fall head over heels for him when she saw him in Vienda and fall quite promptly into his bed. They had a few days together and then Jerrod was gone, his tribe's philosophy driving him to be on the move again, leaving a pining young woman in his wake. Descended from Yellow Eyes, Tessa was ill inclined to pull up sticks but she was quick to pursue her lover, catching up with him in Old Rose Harbor, at which point she'd also realised that she was in the family way. Attaching herself to the band of roving Red Crow musicians and performers, Tessa tried desperately to adjust to a nomadic life, hating it but doing her best so that she could stay with Jerrod. Unfortunately, as she spent more time with Jerrod, she discovered that there were quite a few things that she didn’t like about him, including a number of irritating habits that seemed to grow more irritating as her pregnancy progressed.

When she finally gave birth, they were on the road having just left Bad Aisling and in the aftermath, Tessa was so clearly unhappy that Jerrod decided to return to Vienda with her to try to take to a settler life. The man was certainly trying and Tessa loved him for making the effort, even putting her past irritations and dislikes of him down to the nomadic life that she disliked and the stress of her pregnancy. However, by the time, Shae the boy-child had taken to his feet, the relationship between the pair had become so strained that they decided to part ways, with Jerrod taking to the road once more and promising to check in on them from time to time, providing support where he could.

From that point onwards, Shae saw his father a couple of times a year, gaining a sense of “real” wick culture when he was present, which included the odd word of Tek although he never really took to the pidgin. The rest of the time was spent working alongside their mother who took in seamstress work, slowly saving money for a shop that allowed her a more stable base for her business. As such, Shae was taught to stitch and sew from a young age, capable of making his own clothes and encouraged to experiment with his presentation by his mother, even if his choice of outfit sometimes earned some alarmed looks on the street. A lot of things were forgiven by those around him as even though he was settled, he was still a wick but also a child.


Teenage years


By the time Shae hit his teens, he had developed a real fascination with his father. The man was so rarely around that his infrequent visits were always a treat, even if he only stayed a week at most before setting off on the road again. The growing wick saw his father as a hero, his lifestyle seeming to be carefree compared to the stationary, shop life to which the teenage boy was accustomed. His father was quite easygoing and the pair seemed to have a lot in common, a fact that his mother sourly verified by pointing out that he had the same penchant for laziness although she begrudgingly had to admit that he also had that same open and friendly manner, the good looks and way with words that had originally drawn Tessa to Jerrod. The fact that Shae had the same potential to be a heartbreaker as his father seemed to worry Tessa, doing her best to instil a certain degree of respect for women into the young man. Unbeknownst to her, her son had already had dealings with a number of people - women, men, galdor, wick, human - the who didn't seem to particularly matter to him as he freely explored his sexuality.

Taking a bit of a cue from his father, the young man managed to get ahold of an old, battered guitar, doing his best to teach himself enough to play on the street, getting by more on vocals than on the instrument when he took to busking on the streets. His mother was clearly in two minds about this occupation, given that it brought in some additional income but she was quick to lose her temper, breaking the instrument and more than ready to beat the teenage boy about the head with it in the hopes of discouraging him from such a path and steering him towards honest work. After the guitar break, Shae became highly rebellious, simply leaving the shop instead of helping his mother and when he finally got his hands on a new guitar, he was certain to keep it away from his mother's disapproving gaze.

Shortly after his 16th birthday, he presented his mother with a portion of his "illicit" earnings and told her in no uncertain terms that he would be making his own way in life from now on. His mother presumably thought that he'd be back, being unable to make a suitable living and while Shae did come back for visits, he came to give his mother money rather than vice versa.

Life on the streets wasn't the easiest for him but he was typically good at charming someone sufficiently to get a bed for the night via music and a very persuasive tongue before skipping out in the morning with some "souvenirs" that were his main source of income. Shae's reasoning was that all parties enjoyed themselves and while his lovers might lose a few possessions, they were typically people who could afford to do so. The only real issue was when he had to deal with an irate husband or wife but the wick quickly learned how to lay low when he had to do so.


Death


Things weren't half bad for Shae in Vienda. Sure, there were some threats to his person from time to time and there were always whispers that one day the galdori would throw the wicks, writs or not, out of the city but such rumoured threats came to fruition. Sometimes things could be rough, particularly over winter and more often than not, he had to suffer an empty belly but it was something that he could live with.

Until Yaris 2718.

It was a case of being in the wrong place at entirely the wrong time. The riots came and Shae found himself regrettably caught in the middle of everything. Some people were actively trying to kill each other, others were simply trying to save their own skins while there were those who tried to calm things down. The wick had always had a fair relationship with the mona but magic had never been a focus of his, just a useful and valuable complement to his way of living. Perhaps it wouldn't have made a difference in the end because the spell that hit him was galdori in origin, strong and inescapable when he found himself in its path. He might have been all right if it wasn't for that because it left him lying prone when a runaway cart came and ran him over in the road. His death was a slow and agonising one, the chaos of the riots around him making him a fairly low priority. By the time anyone paid attention to the wick man, his body was dead.

However, his soul was not. He'd expected that, of course, expected that he would continue afterwards, waiting to move onto the next life, reincarnated. Unfortunately, the afterlife didn't seem to come with instructions and the soul was left to wander, some vague thought that he needed to find the entrance to his new life. That everything would be all right in the end.

It was not.


Rebirth


Shae didn't realise straight away that he wasn't a simple ghost on a stepping stone to reincarnation. How could he have? He didn't expect a new life to happen straight away so of course as he wandered, sticking to the familiar city that he had known in life, he didn't know that he were mobile death and corruption. The first indication that there was something very long with this afterlife of his was when he began to feel quite bad indeed. Certain memories began to slowly fade, he felt strangely out of sorts, something that didn't seem possible for a disembodied being to feel. Sick was one way to put it but it was deeper than anything he'd ever experienced when he had a body - soul sick.

The memory of expectant mothers got into the young wick's head although he frequently found himself forgetting that goal, like he'd walked into a room and forgotten precisely while he were there. It was perhaps unfortunate that he encountered Cordelia Gillespie during one of his times of remembrance. The woman wasn't yet heavily pregnant but she was clearly in that state, a swell to her belly visible within her dress, her skin aglow as servants fussed about her. She seemed quietly pleased with herself, hands coming to rest on her burgeoning belly, a certain delight in her youthful face that drew the unwell soul to her.

She was a galdor but she seemed good, pressing a coin into the hand of a wick musician on the street with a shy smile. A good woman who would likely produce a good child. That could be Shae. Maybe that was his new life. So he followed her home and hovered near her at every opportunity, strangely taken with her as if being in her presence made him feel better. Even if he didn't feel well himself, he could at least take some simple pleasure from that pretty face. Something oddly protective also grew within him, his heart going out to her and wanting to tend to her as he noticed how the girl shrank from her husband, a much older man, how she sometimes sobbed herself to sleep at night and muttered about home as she dreamed. She seemed to cling to that life inside her, as if it was the one hope for her in this place.

Until it died within her.

She'd grown ill beforehand, Shae feeling at the time that she mirrored his own unwellness and seeing it as a connection between them, a commonality. But while she lay ill, something went wrong, the life within her spilling out in blood and pain. They did what they could for her, a healer rushed into save the feverish girl as she miscarried and while they managed to save her life, there was no hope for her child. When she recovered, she was broken and still Shae remained, mourning with her because that new life within her could have been his.

The woman was confined to a room on her own, visited by no one but a nurse who brought her food and tried to rub some life into her limbs. There was talk of keeping her away from excitement, avoiding over-stimulation. Perhaps if she'd had company, real company instead of Shae who could do nothing for her, she wouldn't have sunk into such a dark depression as the days went on. A week after the loss of her child, she waited until the nurse had left her presence before plucking a scissors from within her sewing things in her bedroom. When she positioned the blade over her wrist, while she sobbed, it was clear what she was going to do and Shae couldn't stop himself; he tried to stop her.

It was an impulsive action, instinctive and he hadn't really known what his soul tendrils were before that. They were just part of his body, like limbs and he tried to envelop the woman in them, screaming at her not to do it. And then the strangest thing happened. He became aware of the body, aware of its pain, of the mental anguish and he found that fluttering, suffering thing that was the young woman's despairing soul. On some level, he knew that he were smothering it, knew that he were murdering her but that pain... it was so terrible, so awful and in a way what he was doing was a mercy. It was the closest thing to an embrace that the young wick could manage and there was only one comfort he could provide but one less ugly than that which she'd intended. Let her family think that she died in her sleep, a gentle seeming death. She didn't even fight him really. She simply gave up.

To kill Cordelia was a kindness but that didn't mean that it wasn't upsetting, especially as he'd committed a murder, murdered someone that he had almost been in love with. The embrace held but he didn't realise his significance until he realised that he was crying, realised that he could actually shed tears and feel them slide down his cheeks. The pain had stayed of course, the pains that he'd felt that he'd thought were Cordelia's were the body's and he realised that he could feel them as if the body was his own.

Even after he shakily rose to his feet and went to examine himself in the mirror, Shae still had a hard time believing that this soft, feminine face was his own, the dark hair that framed it, the dull ache in his chest - breasts, somehow his - the fingertips that stretched up to touch features before moving disbelievingly to the glass.

Through death he had given himself life and now he was a woman and that was confusing because what the hell was he?

Shae was suddenly bound to a life that they didn't want to live, a life that included a domineering older husband who had had him - her, Cordelia - confined. It was a life that after a few days was utterly unbearable, the new galdor forced to be her, to say as few words as possible so that he wouldn't give himself away and yet... his field did. There was something dreadfully wrong with it, the medical professionals who came to examine him - them? But he was alone in here now, Cordelia dead - picking up on it and doing their best to hide their interest. Could grief cause such a phenomenon? They seemed to think it a possibility rather than as a sign that an entity had taken over and possessed the body.

Perhaps he could have stuck it out, or at least hung around for a little longer if he hadn't overheard a conversation between the healer and Cordelia's husband, Peregrine. He wanted to know when he could bed her again, when he could produce his much needed heir. Something was said about a first wife who had been unable to produce and now this disappointment but Shae was already mentally running, retreating to the room that they'd been so recently freed from in order to throw some clothing into a tattered bag they'd found and a few other oddments before bolting from the house, sneaking out as they headed for the safety of the Dives.

What had once been safe at least but they were seen as a woman now, one well-dressed and clearly distraught. Someone on the run.

They stopped to hack off most of their hair, hoping it would make them less readily identifiable and then went to sell stolen jewellery to ensure passage to Old Rose Harbor. They hadn't been there in awhile but they'd gone on trips there with their mother, an unreal lifetime ago. Surely the Harbor was safe? Peregrine wouldn't go looking for his wife there.

Right?



Aptitude Skills

Mental
Good
Physical
Poor
Social
Excellent

Focus Skills

Combat

None

Linguistics

  • Estuan: Fluent
  • Sign Language: Conversational
  • Monite: Conversational (although themself and the mona aren't on speaking terms...)
  • Tek: Broken

Magic

None

Professional

  • Musician: Beginner
  • Tailor/Seamster: Beginner

Career and Income

Occupation

Once a busker and a charmer, the only skill Shae has managed to keep is their silver tongue. While they're working on getting some vocals back (new vocal cords, a different range and body possession are hard though), the only thing that they have going for them is their charm and an ability to look helpless and a bit clueless. Shae does what they can to get by, typically begging and some minor larceny, sobbing pitifully also has its advantages.

Income: Destitute

Having taken to the streets and with difficulty plying their previous trades, Shae struggles to get by. They have no job, no sustainable income and while sometimes a little flush with cash from the sale of stolen goods, that money doesn't last. They are largely reliant on those around them.

Housing and Inventory

Housing: Vagrant

Shae abandoned Cordelia's well-to-do galdori lifestyle, deciding that it was better to be effectively homeless rather than a bird kept in a cage. As a result, they have whatever items they carry with them and must rely on their wits and the kindness of others for shelter. They can also pay for shelter if they manage to raise funds through stolen goods although stealing is a hell of a lot harder these days.

Inventory

  • A black coat (good quality)
  • Blue and white house dress (good quality, little tattered and grubby)
  • A white blouse (good quality)
  • Comfortable shoes (good quality)
  • Scissors
  • Some thread
  • Some good quality jewellery, mismatched
  • Eyeliner (it seemed like a good idea at the time, okay?!)
  • A shoulder bag, muddied and a bit ragged in places
  • Personal hygiene items

Goals

  • Do more than just look pretty
  • Work out this crossed-gender thing
  • Keep away from Cordelia's family and friends
  • Keep the hell away from Peregrine - you are not that bastard's brood mare!
  • Calm your tits! Yes, you have them now, get it together though!

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