[GW2] Lux Larkspur (aka Luxelen) - WIP

[Anaris]

((Character profile template borrowed from guildwars2roleplayers.com))


Character Name: Luxelen Larkspur
Aliases: Lux, Luxie
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Profession: Engineer, OOCish

Apparent age: She's part of that enormous generation of 20-somethings
Hair: Honey colored hair
Skin: medium-light
Appearance details: She's of Ascalonian descent, her complexion being on the darker side...  If she were out in the sun, which she isn't usually, she'd easily tan a few shades darker.   Height-wise she's short for a Larkspur, barely grazing 5'3" or so.  Her body type is average-to-slim for her small frame, not athletic, not curvaliscious...  She does have nice legs for a tiny girl.  When she's not smirking or scowling over one thing or other, she's got a very pretty face with elegant 'classical beauty' features (high cheekbones, square jaw, well-defined brows, nice lips, delicate chin, etc.)  Her eyes are a honey color, almost a match to her hair.  She'd stand out more if she weren't so darn short...

In terms of wardrobe, she can be seen wearing just about any fashion under the sun.  She experiments with clothes quite a bit and always dresses well (if a bit outlandish at times) for the occasion, whatever the occasion might be.  While she follows and enjoys wearing the latest fashions, she will not compromise comfort too much.  If she's at a ball and her gown's high neckline is bothering her, she will not hesitate to take it off then and there, much to her mother's dismay.  She'll find some creative way to cover up....  ("Hellooo table cloths!")  She has a small, delicate tattoo on the right side of her torso that reads "Libertine" with some royal blue larkspur flowers entwined in the calligraphy.  She has another small blue larkspur flower on her inner left ankle.

Personality: Lux is a charming, sweet, darrrrling girl with a smile to match......for ten minutes.   In reality, she's the stereotypical repressed debutante who'd much rather be out cavorting with less than savory characters in some obscure part of town than be at, like, tea with Aunt Anastasia.  Sure she's polite, well-educated, graceful, and knows her social etiquettes, but oh my gods someone get her out of there!  For such drab occasions, she usually has Sparkles, her trusty bejeweled flask, come to the rescue with something from Father's vintage spirits cabinets...  This 'suffocation' she feels isn't something she can always control, as one would imagine, so she has her escapades from time to time. 

Like, for example, she got mugged once.  So she did what any damsel in distress would do (according to her): She gave the bandit her coin purse and jewels, ("Oh! But not this charm bracelet.  I was wearing it the first time I saw a half-naked guardsman.  It has sentimental value!")  then offered double the amount in her coin purse if he agreed to teach her how to shoot a pistol. The bandit was utterly puzzled by her reaction, but he took the deal and met with her the following afternoon.  She was fifteen at the time.  (Later, she would recall:  "I'm grateful and all but...  What an idiot! What if I was setting him up or something?  Doesn't matter...next time we meet, I'll be the aiming a pistol right back at him!")

She's an adrenaline junkie, a habit that might've stemmed from early childhood when she'd act out to get her parents' attention or when she'd be so restless and annoyed at having to sit still through one of her older sister's piano recitals that she would do something drastic out of sheer boredom, like knock a chandelier over and see if anything would catch on fire.  Speaking of which, she suffers from Middle Child Syndrome to some degree.  Though there's no apparent sibling rivalry between Lux and her sisters, she feels frustrated at times.  She's not as disciplined and focused as older sister Lara, but she's too old to get away with the mischief and bratty playfulness her younger sisters engage in.  She sometimes wishes she could be more scholarly, but she finds it difficult to concentrate on things that aren't appealing to her.  Likewise with athletics, she's not very good at sports or fitness...it's just never been an interest of hers.   Her father made them all take fencing lessons.  She wanted to learn how to wield a sword but she was so terrible at it she faked a broken wrist to get out of the rest of the lessons.

Her great comfort at home is her close relationship with her eldest sibling and only brother, Lauriston.  Lauriston and Luxelen, both closet deviants in their own way, are quite the co-conspirators and partners in crime.  They keep each other's secrets and mutually encourage all sorts of mayhem-causing behavior. It's no coincidence that, unlike their other siblings who took after their father, these two resemble their paternal grandmother with their darker skin tone and lighter hair.  She's also very close to her other BFF, scandalous cousin Miralinn Fairfax. They are quite the notorious trio.

Religious beliefs/philosophy: She was raised to honor the True Six.  She's pretty ambivalent about it.

Childhood/History: She had the average privileged upbringing common to Divinity's Reach nobility.  In other words, boring as hell.  So she explored extracurricular activities to keep her entertained.  Anything from pranking her peers to engaging in rather risky playground behavior. Surprisingly, she has no noticeable scars. 

Because her parents were greatly concerned she might grow up to be a crazed banshee or run off with a pirate, they came up with a solution to 'deal' with her.  (It's debatable as to whether they were truly concerned for her well-being or just worried about their House's reputation.)  Unlike her other sisters, she demonstrated no particular talents in scholarly pursuits, arcane abilities, or political ambitions.  The next best thing was to marry her off.  But knowing full well that forcing Lux into a union with a carefully selected fellow noble once she reached a certain age would just provoke her into doing something rash, they decided the other next best thing for a social deviant like her would be to send her off to art school.  After all, an artist's eccentricities and unconventional behavior are justified, right?!   So off to the Fine Arts Academy she went.    (She would later write in a letter to her brother:  "This Fine Arts Academy is part art school, part mental asylum, part rehab.  It's where all the rejects from our neighborhood get sent to.  You ought to have joined me!")

While at school, she met many eclectic characters.  Most she found as stuffy and insufferable as the snooty Humans back home.  But some, and they were very few, she absolutely adored and quickly formed a tight bond with.  This little group of misfits, all from wealthy families, banded together and caused all sorts of mayhem at the academy.  They started collaborating on projects together and soon enough began publishing an underground bi-monthly illustrated periodical that was part comic book, part social satire and criticism.  The images they'd draw, always accompanied by cheeky texts, were controversial and radical at best.  There might've been some x-rated material included. They would call themselves The Libertines and would publish the works anonymously, adopting monikers to sign their work with.  But...then they got caught and nearly expelled!  After some serious academic disciplinary actions, they were allowed to return to school, but the gods save them if they tried such insolence again! ("Pfft...whatever happened to artistic freedom!")

It was her close acquaintanceship with a rather nutty, nerdy boy genius and fellow Libertine who worshipped Charr technology that led her to discover a whole new world:  That of guns, gadgets, and grenades.   Because, you know, if you're going to shock and p**s off your parents, what better way to do it than with things that go BOOM...especially if they were Charr-made?  Of course, Boy Genius, being the gawky nerd he was, was utterly smitten by the beautiful and exuberant Lux.  So he shared everything with her, including his bootlegged stuff!  They started creating, inventing, plotting together.  He had the ideas, and she had the talents.  Her parents were going to be soooo mad!   But really, her fascination with these gadgets started purely out of curiosity and inspiration, artistic subjects!  They were exciting, unique, and explosive.  ("Like me! Right, Boy Genius?!" ....*Boy Genius just kept quiet and smiled, but rolled his eyes when she wasn't looking*) They represented something lacking in her life, and fed right into her thrill-seeking thirst.

As far as her progress in art school was concerned, she'd send sketches home of pretty flower vases and landscapes.  Of course, what her parents were looking at was a grenade masked as a vase.  And those flowers?  Poisonous.     Her real sketches back at the school were of intricate airships, girl-friendly weaponry (think lipstick pistol!), and silly gadgetry.  A particular favorite theme of hers was drawing scantily clad or nude Human women holding pistols and rifles in provocative poses, a scandalous feat should anyone find out they were drawn by her hand.  Naturally her instructors found her themes a bit alarming, but any school reports sent to House Larkspur mysteriously disappeared before they reached any authoritative hands......("Nice intercepting, Laurie!")

Recent history: It's been a few months since she's graduated from the Fine Arts Academy and returned home.  She's already feeling stifled, bored, and anxious.  She's glad to be back, as she missed her brother and sisters.  But she's ready to get out of her parents' house again.  Of course her illicit artwork, technical blueprints, and scandalous sketches are kept well hidden from anyone but Laurie.  But it's time to go find inspiration somewhere.  ("No, not trouble!  I said inspiration! Two different things....")

Notable relationships: She's the third born of a rather large noble family.  Father: Lord Alistair Larkspur.   Mother:  Lady Cordelia Larkspur (nee Fairfax), Five siblings:  Lauriston, Lara, twins Lena and Leigh, little Liv.  Cousin:  Miralinn Fairfox.   Secret Acquaintance:   Thief...the Thief.

Strengths, talents, and points of pride: She received a well-rounded education at the Fine Arts Academy so her abilities lie in that area for now.   She's adequately talented with a chisel and a paint brush, but her best work happens when she wields pencil onto sketchpad.  She also dabbles in writing here and there.  She loves music, but playing an instrument isn't really her thing.  She just didn't have the patience for it so she slept through most of those lessons.  Dancing, she loves, but not the classically trained variety...she enjoys whatever the bar wenches in Lion's Arch are doing these days!  Art is her escape from the mundane and serves as a platform for other things she's interested in.  Technology and modern inventions fascinate her, so quite a bit of her artwork consists of blueprints and prototypes of sorts.  She has an affinity for gadgetry, often sketching new ideas on how to improve the functionality of common objects.   She is by no means a brain in terms of technology but she's highly intuitive and very good at interpreting ideas of other brainy types, hence her artwork.  It should be noted that she's...uh....how to put this gently...  Currently she's not the most gifted inventive type out there.  She has good ideas but her execution is, uh, questionable at best for the time being.  Hey, she's young and new to this!  There's room for improvement.  So much room for improvement...  But, again, she's great at helping the real geniuses make their ideas happen!

She's extremely focused when a subject or a hobby interests her, becoming very absorbed in it with an almost unbreakable concentration.  But if something doesn't interest her or isn't to her liking, she will avoid it at all costs.  If forced into it, her mind will just drift off.  Expect mediocrity if she's not into it.
In spite of her rebellious nature and black sheep status, she's very caring and nurturing toward her siblings and is the one to always champion for their well-being.  If she hears anyone gossiping about her brother, she will CUT them.  ...with her words, of course. *cough*    If one of her younger sisters gets into trouble, she gladly takes the blame for it.  ("Hey, they would've assumed it was me anyway, so...!")  Likewise, if one of them is being bullied she'll be the one to step up and take the proverbial punch.  In fact, if she sees anyone being bullied she would stand up for them. ("Sure, I used to be a prankster.  But innocent mischief is one thing, being mean is another and I won't stand for that.")  Deep down, under the chaos, she has a kind heart.   She would be more generous and altruistic if she were not so selfishly wrapped up in her own little drama. Hopefully some day she will mature enough to embrace this side of her and help Tyrians in need.  ("How does that quote go again?  Dwayna give me virtue....but not yet?")

Weaknesses, detriments, and points of improvement:   Her thrill-seeking wanderlust and endless curiosity have been instrumental in her development, but have also caused her serious trouble.  She has the attention span of a hyperactive child in a room full of toys.  Her manic shifts from extremely absorbed to completely disinterested (when it comes to distraction vs. focus) are so out of balance they tend to be very problematic sometimes.  Naturally, she can be quite self-absorbed.  In spite of coming across as a lively extrovert, she's an introvert at heart.  She uses her outgoing, gregarious personality to keep the focus away from anyone potentially wanting to get to know her. 

Because she grew up in such a privileged environment, she takes things for granted.  She is spoiled and decadent and doesn't so much as bat an eyelash when spending daddy's money. ("Not like he'd even notice...le sigh.")  She can be impulsive, restless, and illogical.  Sometimes it's as if life overwhelms her and there's a time bomb and she needs to rush through everything RIGHT NOW without pausing to rationalize things.  Other times she's too apathetic about life to get up from her favorite sketching corner. 

And lastly, she fell in love with shooting pistols after that mugging incident-turned-learning experience.   But...she overestimates her shooting abilities.  While she might eventually hit her target after firing several rounds, there's no telling what else she might hit with her 'misses'...  She keeps practicing. She'll get better! 
She is probably not the woman you want on your team if you're hoping for a stealthy operation... 

Optional

Favored alcoholic beverage: A well-made martini.  Wine.  Champagne.  Whatever's inside Sparkles.
Favored food:   She's usually too distracted by one thing or other to remember to eat.  When she does, she probably binges like a madwoman.  I see her eating lots of fruits, bread, cheese, pie...
Favored weather or season: Late at night, during a storm.  Because lighting! Thunder!  Things going boom and wind howling and sparks flying and...it's also very romantic to cuddle in this weather.  Aww.
Favored color: She's moody.  One day it could be red, another it could be blue.  Green is pretty too.  Black is a great wardrobe choice.  Silver is nice, copper even better.  Oh.  Purple.  Maybe yellow.  She does gravitate toward warmer tones.

How does your character react when...
You find a powerful weapon: "Meh.  It looks old and boring.  Something Lara would probably find oh-so-fascinating...  I'll pass."
You find a coin purse: "Is this mine?  Did I drop my coin purse again?"
You find food: *ignores it*
You find a trap: *smiiiiirks*  "This should be fun..."
You find a corpse: "It was an accident!  Who puts a shooting range next to a tavern anyway!? ......oh.....he died of a stab wound?  Oh, good then it wasn't me!   ....I mean....how sad.  Gods bless his soul...."  *nods, looking solemn, and quietly slips away*
You find a suspicious scroll: "In these parts?  Oh, I bet it's just a love letter written in some cryptic code form.  I'll take it to Laurie so we can crack it and find out what scandals lie beneath.  Fun!"

Any roleplay preferences or limitations for this character?  Not really into the whole extreme violence and gore thing.  Would love to find a scientist-y or engineer mentor type for her, or a group of artsy misfits to cause trouble with.

[PinkRose]

You writers always amaze me.
What a complete and thorough and engaging background, Spunky.

[Anaris]

Hehe, thanks!

Admittedly, I wouldn't be able to write a background for a character unless I had one of those profile templates to work with.  I took this one from the gw2rp site, as it seemed shorter but well-rounded compared to others I've used in the past.  Of course this is just a starting point for me RP-wise.  I'm sure there will be tweakings here and there as gameplay starts and I get to know this universe's Lux better.