Mask or Menace Application

[glassfall]

〈 PLAYER INFO 〉
NAME: Feather
AGE: Over 18
JOURNAL:poisonarcana
IM / EMAIL: Featherine / jasmine_hibiscus AT yahoo . com
PLURK: featherine
RETURNING: Nope! I play Max Caulfield.

〈 CHARACTER INFO 〉
CHARACTER NAME: Cinders
CHARACTER AGE: Her age in canon is unknown, so I’ll go with 20.
CANON ORIGIN: Cinders, a visual novel by Moacube.
CHRONOLOGY: After she leaves her sisters and stepmother at the ball.
CLASS: Hero.
HOUSING: Any! I don’t mind if she’s housed in Heropa or Nonah.

BACKGROUND:Worlds (and stories) like that of Cinders are hardly scarce - a land of seeming fairy tales, where a happily ever after can be achieved by scullery maids and youngest sons out on a journey - though all is never quite as simple as it seems. Although her mother died giving birth to her, her father raised her lovingly, telling her countless fairy tales and even instilling a belief of the Fair Folk in her. What little she knew of her mother growing up came from him, and the way he described her was almost as if he were speaking of an angel instead of a normal human being. A devout reader, he often brought Cinders books, giving her a love of stories - especially exciting ones of romance and sorcery. However, he also sheltered Cinders, leaving her with little knowledge as to how the real world worked. While it had been wonderful when she was a child, Cinders would later look back on her girlhood and find that while it had certainly been carefree, it was also “too dreamy”, and inadequate for the trials she would later face. And face them, she would.

Idyllic or not, all childhoods must end, and Cinders’ ended more quickly than most when her father met the determined, strong-willed Carmosa. Having been widowed when her husband, who was a soldier, died in a war, Carmosa “climbed over his dead body to be to where she is now,” as one of her daughters would later put it. With her came her two daughters, beautiful Gloria and cynical Sophia. Although Cinders was ambivalent about her new stepfamily at first, all was still relatively well… that is, until her father died, and Cinders’ world changed forever. She became a servant in her own home almost immediately, with Carmosa only agreeing to keep her on as one in exchange for room and board. Her “sisters”, in the meantime, took not only her room, but all of the dresses and trinkets that her father had gifted her, leaving poor Cinders with only the books from her childhood. And although her father was the one who gave Cinders her nickname due to her bright red hair, it stuck - and it fit her all the more while she was forced to sleep in the kitchen, which often led to her being covered in ash and soot.

All this would go on for a few years… that is, until everything changed. Cinders, tired of living in these circumstances, decided to do something about it. She made an effort to please Carmosa, getting her chores done promptly and efficiently, and taking her harsh criticisms with as much grace as she could muster. Not only that, but she reached out to Sophia, convincing her that she wasn’t worthless or stupid (something that earned a hesitant apology and an even more hesitant friendship), as well as Gloria (which brought her gratitude along with someone who would discreetly cover for her). Naturally, this did not escape Carmosa’s attention. Ever the hawk, she realized that Cinders was growing up - perhaps even someone she could rely on!

During this time, Cinders made the acquaintance of Madame Ghede, the town witch. Ghede had known Cinders’ mother, and Cinders would later learn the truth - that while she had been a loving wife and mother, she was also ambitious and resourceful, wanting the best for her daughter. Not only had she formed a contract - called a Concord - with the Fairy of the Lake, she had also managed to get tough, witty Ghede as a friend (and somehow, in her debt). Cinders, having learned about the Fairy, would leave the occasional offering and speak with her in dreams. But it wasn’t all mysterious wise-women and mystical fair folk; she would also rekindle her friendship with Tobias, the town merchant. Sweet and amiable, Tobias was more than willing to give Cinders a break on prices and chat with her about their lives.

Further change came when Carmosa suddenly had to leave on business. Appealing to Gloria’s pride, as she was now running the household, Cinders convinced her to allow a trip to town. There, aside from learning more of her mother from Madame Ghede, she would also receive advice about how to change her life. “You’re a smart girl, just like your mother,” Ghede told her, having watched her from afar ever since she was a child. During this time, she would also befriend the Captain of the Royal Guard, Perrault - and he told her of Prince Basile and what he was like - kind and caring, and shrewd and ambitious all at once. Despite his high status (and her lack of one), Cinders couldn’t help but find “the sort of man who is interested in more than a woman’s appearance” fascinating, and wondered what it would be like to meet him.

Cinders would also meet a certain shady character and convince him to tell her why he was hanging about: there was some information Carmosa was willing to pay a few coins for. Seeking Gloria out, Cinders asked of it, learning that the prince was to host a Grand Ball in order to find a wife after the death of his father. The king’s final wish had been that Basile find a Queen, and the young man was not to be crowned until then. Carmosa, having spoken to the shady gentleman, knew of this as well, and Cinders learned of her plan - to have one of her daughters crowned (and never mind if it wasn’t what they wanted). Cinders, of course, was not to go; Carmosa had put all her time and effort upon learning of the ball to create an opportunity for her daughters. However proper and respectful Cinders had been (at least while in earshot), Carmosa would “not let them be upstaged by anyone.” Of course, she also had practical reasons: she could hardly get two eligible young ladies ready for the ball, let alone three with the money problems the house had been having.

Of course, there were other issues, too. Carmosa decided the house had to be sparkling, and set Cinders to work with whichever sister was available while she had the other one try on her dress. Although she had tried to be better to Cinders, she also simply saw her as little more than a servant - perhaps more impressive than usual, but that was it. While Cinders mulled over her options, Perrault came for a visit. The two friends snuck out, and Perrault confessed that times were changing; he’d been requested to become a master spy for the crown, rather than the captain of the guard. Aft)er a long talk, Cinders gave Perrault the advice he sought (and talked him out of the self-pity he was in danger of developing. His issues lessened for the time being, he escorted Cinders to her mother’s grave before departing. There, at last, would the Lady of the Lake reveal herself to Cinders.The Fairy was willing to uphold the Concord… as long as Cinders would remember her. Despite her ominous talk of Fate and the Price to be paid, Cinders would listen to the Lady, being careful to weigh her options.

The time to make her decision came quickly. Gloria and Sophia were to go with Carmosa to the tailor’s, in order to have their dresses corrected. “I know you would like to join us and present yourself at the Ball,” Gloria told her. “And frankly, I don’t see why you shouldn’t be coming with us.” Cinders, having grown to care for her stepsisters, told them to go without worrying about her. Of course, being young and tired of her situation, she could hardly help feeling sorry for herself after they’d gone… that is, until she told herself to stop whining and get on with it. She had a goal in mind, and she had two people willing to help her get it. But would it be better to be indebted to the Fairy of the Lake, with all her talk of the Price outweighing the Gift - or Madame Ghede, with her own hidden agendas and open selfishness? It seemed clear to Cinders that while the town witch was hardly someone she could trust completely, it was better to go to her than one of the Fair Folk. After all, who knew what Price they would reap, and when?

Cinders managed to creep out of the house and over to Madame Ghede’s. Having seen Carmosa “scuttling around town”, Ghede had naturally been able to anticipate Cinders’ arrival. Craving “a little fairy tale of her own” after all the hardship she’d suffered, Cinders had made up her mind to go to the ball no matter what. While she mulled over her options - take control over the house from Carmosa (with the help of her father’s will), or leave town in order to start over - Madame Ghede had a third: why not become the Queen? After all, Cinders was already going to the party, and she may as well take a shot at winning Basile over, like everyone else. With that in mind, Cinders decided: she would go to the ball and see what the prince was like. After all, even if she didn’t make it to the top, it would provide her with plenty of other opportunities - and she could still leave town if need be when all this was over.

But first, she would need a dress. And that, at least, Madame Ghede was perfectly willing to provide. It was one she had worn when she was younger, and it was just as magnificent (if revealing) now as it was then; all it really needed was a little cleaning. And as Ghede was about to leave town to start anew, an old (though beautiful) dress and a little help cost her nothing. But for all Cinders’ talk, she was hardly sure that a girl like her could catch the eye of the Prince himself. Was she really that special, or fascinating, or even that attractive? She certainly wasn’t as beautiful as Gloria, or as sharp and witty as Sophia. And what was Basile actually like? He could be kind, or cruel, or dull. He could be spoiled silly, or torture small animals for his amusement - and whatever Perrault said about him, he was still the captain of the guard. What if this wasn’t what she really wanted? But her mind was made up, and Cinders would at least go and see what all the fuss was about.

The night before the ball, Cinders kept to herself while Sophia and Gloria fussed and complained over their dresses and Carmosa’s agenda for them. She was perfectly obedient and pliant while Carmosa, locked in her study, wondered if her daughters would end up alone and without a husband - and forgotten or hated by everyone, as she had been. And she was completely unaware while Basile wondered over his intended reforms, and if he could bring about true change that would be the best for his people. After all, the King had been rather like Carmosa: a very good ruler, but a poor parent. Would any of them be able to truly escape their shadows? But morning, at last, arrived, and despite the lack of sleep, all the girls were ready - or at least, as ready as they could be in their dressing-gowns.

Cinders tried to be patient while her stepsisters kept demanding adjustments to their hair, the way their shawls would be draped, and how to press their dresses. But when she finally got away, she was nearly a nervous wreck, worrying that she had missed her chance to change her life. Ghede, ever the pragmatist, pointed out that she would only be what was termed “fashionably late”, and thus be able to make a bigger splash upon her entrance than she would if she had arrived on time. And speaking of fashion, it was time to give Cinders her dress. “I mean, technically you could go without one,” chuckled Ghede. “You’d definitely get everyone’s attention then.” Joking aside, the dress fit like a glove - and to complete the look, Ghede had found her old slippers, made of stiff leather and sharp glass, and they sparkled as if new when Cinders put them on.

At the ball, Carmosa chided her daughters, telling them how important it was that they win over the heart of the prince. “You’d be royalty! You do want that, don’t you?” Sophia wasn’t so sure, but Gloria, ever the dutiful daughter, agreed (even if it wasn’t quite true). “Only idiots aim low,” scoffed their mother, and sent Gloria ahead. But for all her talk of pleasing her mother, Gloria was still unsure what she liked - or even what she wanted - but she at least knew it wasn’t in line with the prince’s wants and needs. And while Sophia laughed and bantered with the Prince, finding him both likable and handsome, she certainly wasn’t about to sit “in ridiculous chairs, wearing funny hats made of metal”, so she left, leaving the prince rather bemused. “Heavens! This Ball is turning into a madhouse rather rapidly,” he wondered to himself. “Too bad, though. This one I started to like.”

While Carmosa scolded the girls over their squandered chances, Cinders - at long last - made her grand entrance. As is often the case in fairy tales, the room went silent in awe and envy at the lovely young lady in the magnificent, sparkling gown that stepped into the ballroom. Perrault, certain he knew the woman despite the equally magnificent mask she wore (as well as the lack of dust and ash scattered across her features), quietly stepped back to allow her some room. Despite her nerves, Cinders walked right up to the prince and engaged him in conversation (and although she found the author of “The Duke” to be interesting enough, she found that Lady Malich, who “described power in its actual rather than ideal form” to be more of an authority on the matter of ruling). “You may be wearing a mask,” said Basile, “but you speak to me plainly and honestly, risking being misunderstood or simply rejected.”

Cinders, meanwhile, found Basile to be kind and understanding, and opened up to him about her family - how her mother had died in labor, how her father would one day wed a woman with two daughters. And how he died, leaving Cinders alone with a family not of her own blood, who used her as a servant in the house she had once been so happy in. Touched by her story and charmed by her openness and wit, the prince asked Cinders to dance - and rather intimately, at that. Perhaps it had been fate, he mused, that brought them together. “To the contrary,” scoffed Cinders, “if it was up to Fate, I’d be cleaning the dishes this very moment.” And as the conversation turned to more pleasant topics - had Basile complimented her eyes yet? - Cinders found herself surprisingly comfortable with this man, who had lived in the shadow of a brilliant, though uncaring parent. As he complimented Cinders (“Skip the neck,” she told him, glibly. “What about my chest?”), she thought that despite her initial fears, she could grow to love him. But one does not value that which one has achieved effortlessly, and so Cinders politely excused herself from the prince and thanked him for the wonderful evening.

On her way through the garden, Cinders ran into Carmosa and the girls. “Are you enjoying the Ball? I certainly am,” she greeted. While her stepmother sputtered (“Demons take me, aren’t you a clever little creature, my dear Cinders?”), Gloria and Sophia cooed over their younger sister, admiring her dress and the gall it must have taken to get it. But Carmosa was impressed, as much as she loathed the fact that Cinders had succeeded where her own daughters had (willingly) failed, and she took it as gracefully as she was able. But Cinders was tired, especially of those blasted, although beautiful, slippers she was wearing, and after chucking one of them over the wall, she left the other one behind, with her stepfamily - just in time for Perrault to arrive in search of her and note it glittering on the ground. It was in this state, hurrying home, that Cinders found herself in a place she never would have even suspected of existing.



PERSONALITY:Cinders is an intelligent, ambitious, and resourceful young woman. Having learned a long time ago that there was no such thing as a knight in shining armor, she is both practical about her position in life and determined to seize any opportunity she has to better it. Whether this means befriending the stepsisters who previously abused her, playing the obedient stepdaughter to Carmosa, or simply seeking the advice of the town witch, she will do whatever she feels is necessary to achieve her goals. However, behind the “cold, inquisitive look” she is fully capable of, Cinders is compassionate. She is truly able to understand and forgive her stepsisters and stepmother after years of abuse, and while she acknowledges that none of them can change the past, she feels friendship - or at least respect - for what little family she has left. While she knows she’s had it the worst, she was still able to recognize that Carmosa had to struggle, sweat and bleed to get as far in life as she has, and that Gloria and Sophia have been wounded by years of emotional abuse and unreasonable expectations. Although this does not mean she shares all of their viewpoints (i.e. Carmosa’s dismissive tendencies, Gloria’s blind devotion to her mother, or Sophia’s cynicism), she is able to come to an understanding with them nonetheless.

While Cinders is smart and perceptive, she is sometimes blinded by her youth as well as her sadness regarding her position in life, leading her to worry overmuch about lost chances (as well as last ones). Furthermore, she occasionally misses the sheer amount of effort her mother put into protecting her - and as the shady gentleman would note, “The girl’s born pretty as a picture, smart as a demon, and protected by friends her Mother made and bound by a dying wish.” While it is not lost on her, it does take her a little while to grasp it (likely because she simply never had anyone else who went that far for her). Cinders also has a tendency to wallow in self-pity when she’s alone and down in the dumps, and although she can pull herself together and carry on, she never quite stops saving her angst for later - at least, not until things look up. Thankfully, she’s not the sort of girl to sit around and wait for her prince to come - rather, she’ll go to him, or whatever else she has her eye on.

Cinders has a distinct enjoyment of reading, and even if she’s read certain books enough times that she’s memorized them, she’ll keep going back to them if there’s nothing else available. She’s a fan of everything from swords-and-sorcery tales to books on the reality of ruling to simple, fairy tale romances, and will gladly curl up and read all day if she doesn’t have anything else going on. However, she keeps a critical mind about what she reads (for instance, a story about an abused girl who develops a “martyr-like attitude” and does nothing to save herself, yet is rescued; it’s just not realistic). Cinders is also imaginative, and often spends time day-dreaming while doing her chores, sometimes to the point of nearly getting lost in them (and then laughing at herself over it). Perhaps it is that, or her loneliness in Carmosa’s house, that leads to her doing things like talking to herself when alone, or to the halls when unexpected developments happen.

Cinders is the sort of woman who wants to be informed before she makes an important decision, such as gathering information about Carmosa’s money troubles (and her father's will) along with learning about the prince (even if she didn’t really think about going after him until Madame Ghede gave her a push in that direction), as well as what it would take to leave town if she really felt the need to start afresh. When she can’t accomplish things on her own (and even when she can), Cinders prefers to weigh her options, taking both Ghede’s and the Fairy’s viewpoints into careful consideration: is it really so wise to leave everything up to Fate, or is it better to just throw caution to the wind and trust in it? Would it be better to be in the debt of an obviously selfish witch with her own manipulative agenda, or one of the Fair Folk, so well-known for claiming (and taking) more than is what their due? Sometimes, she knows, terrible (or frightening) choices are all someone has, and so she keeps an open mind.

If pushed far enough, Cinders can be driven to kill - but only if she sees no other alternatives. However, she would prefer a more peaceful solution, if possible.



POWER: Cinders has no powers in her canon. Therefore, all of her abilities listed below are bestowed upon her by the setting.

Fire Affinity: Cinders is both immune to flame and capable to controlling, manipulating, or even generating it. Although she can’t, for instance, make shapes out of it, or control exactly how her flames flicker, she can will it to go out, change its direction, or to start and stop it as she pleases. When it is created, she does so through any part of her hands and/or hair, and her eyes glow gold (which she can hide by simply shutting them). Her fire can be of any temperature ranging from the heat of a single lit matchstick to a simple cooking fire to that of a raging wildfire. Cinders can generate and control enough flame to cover a five-story building, although learning to do so will take work. The more she uses her ability in a 24-hour period, the more it will exhaust her until she can rest. Should she push herself too far, she will only be able to extinguish what fire is around her (i.e., that room or general area) - at which point, she will collapse and need to sleep it off.

Her ability also grants her an immunity to smoke and ash, although this does not completely extend to her clothing (i.e. she will get her clothes singed and dirty if she’s dealing with a fire she did not start, or is not currently controlling; however, her clothing will not be harmed apart from that). Furthermore, Cinders is immune to the harmful effects of heat, and will only feel pleasantly toasty at most, no matter what the temperature any given fire is (and this does not extend to anything like, say, humidity on a muggy day; she just won’t be bothered by the heat of the sun). Cinders is unable to absorb the energy of fire (and she’s unable to have a wound cauterized), or heal injuries caused by fire.

Before Midnight: Cinders is capable of assuming either her standard, raggedy clothing, or the ball gown gifted to her by Madame Ghede, complete with shawl and glass slippers. All she has to do is wish aloud, even on accident, and it happens (complete with plenty of magical glitter and sweet-smelling smoke). The clothes are always clean, and changing into either outfit cleans her up, as well (though just things like dirt and stains, and not to the point of cleaning or treating a wound, for instance).She can change into both outfits up to twice a day, and any clothing damage she sustains is undone. Should a piece of her clothing be torn off, a bit of glass be broken off, or a feather from her mask be removed (and so on), it stays where it was - wrapped around an injury as a makeshift bandage, on the ground, etc. - and her clothing simply renews what was removed from it. This ability only works for Cinders; she cannot will her clothing to someone else, or give it away. She can, however, remove it to change clothes or take a bath, but should she try to hand it to someone else to wear (or should it be stolen for that purpose), it simply vanishes, to be restored either instantly on her person or to reappear the next time she assumes the outfit. Contrary to the name of the power, there is no time limit on it, or when it is used. This ability does not extend to any clothes she might gain in the setting: it is always either her rags or her ball gown, and she cannot wish any part of the outfit (i.e., the purple hair covering she wears every day, or the mask she wore to the ball) away, although she can take it off without consequence.


FINAL NOTES:Upon her arrival, Cinders will just have the clothes she is wearing with her. As Cinders’s true name is never revealed in canon, I have decided to call her Gabrielle Lancret, for convenience’s sake.