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shima-draws · 4 years ago

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At last, here she is...best girl Olivia!

As usual, all of her info is under the cut c:

Olivia

Age: 18

Hair color: White (with pink/purple streaks)

Eye color: Green

Element: Fire

After a lot of debating I decided that Olivia is actually Jasper and Mouna’s daughter--if you don’t know them they’re two older OCs that I’ve had for a while! (I figured I might as well give her parents already existing within the ATS-verse anyway, and I planned on Jasper and Mouna getting together and having a child somewhere down the line so it fits.)

When she was born, Olivia was very weak, and most healers feared that she would not make it—similar to how weak and frail Jasper was when he was born. Because of this, Jasper and Mouna are both fiercely overprotective of her (Jasper more intensely) so she was sort of suffocated by their attention. She grew up within the Spinelrose Guild and was treated more delicately by the rest of the guild members, especially because of how slow her development was and how often she was ill as a child. She originally had a difficult time making friends because Jasper was so afraid she’d get into trouble and get hurt, and the other kids didn’t want to accidentally put her in danger. Olivia was pretty isolated from her peers as a kid, and that frustrated her, because she didn’t want to be treated differently from everybody else just because of her fragility. Unfortunately she was never really strong enough to make her point, and just ended up being coddled by the guild as a result.

As she developed into a teenager, Olivia eventually outgrew her sickly physique and started to become stronger, both mentally and physically. She started to speak up about her parents’ treatment of her more—she knows that they just want to keep her safe, but she feels smothered by their hovering tendencies. Mouna eventually realizes how important this is to her and starts to back off, realizing how strong her daughter has become. Jasper, however...it’s harder for him to let go lol because she’s his only child and he knows how difficult it was to grow up as the weak link, the one who got ostracized because of their general health and well-being. It doesn’t help that Olivia is very clumsy and gets into little accidents all the time, which just makes his stress skyrocket.

Even worse, Olivia is a fire elemental, which is considered to be one of the most dangerous simply because of how destructive it is without proper control. When Olivia was a kid Jasper forbade her from practicing any of her magic, too worried that she’d end up hurting herself. Of course, Olivia has a bit of a rebellious streak, so she tried it once by herself and inevitably ended up burning the side of her face with her magic. (By now the scar is almost faded, but you can still see it.) Both of her parents flipped their lids, and Olivia was so terrified that she decided to never use her magic again, viewing it as a curse. Mouna tries to tell her that her magic is a blessing, something that encompasses life, and that she just wasn’t ready to use it so freely without any training. But Olivia is insistent—scarred both in the literal and metaphorical sense, she refuses to use her magic, scared that she’s going to hurt herself again, or worse, somebody else.

As the years pass Olivia starts to feel more and more unsatisfied with her current life—she likes the guild, likes her friends and her family, but she feels as if there’s more she could be doing with her life. Since she’s refrained from using her magic all these years, and because of how much of a klutz she is normally, she’s not really a strong fighter, and is pretty useless on guild missions. Seeing the rest of her guildmates put their all into what they do, and being able to succeed in it, drives her to eventually seek escape and try to start off with a clean slate. When she turns 14, Olivia decides that she’s going to leave the guild and travel to someplace new in an attempt to be more independent and maybe find a purpose for herself.

Of course she realizes that if she tells her parents this they’ll probably refuse her, so she corners her uncle Terrence instead. Seeing her drive, Terrence decides he’s going to escort her to make sure she arrives safely. Olivia initially refuses because this is something she wants to do on her own, but Terrence warns her that the world is a dangerous place, and since she doesn’t know how to fight or use her magic the trip would be near suicidal if she went on her own. Terrence tells her the best option is going to stay with Spinelrose’s sister guild, Amethystus, and receive proper training in order to hone her magic and her fighting skills. That way she’d still have a direct line with Spinelrose in case something goes wrong, but she’d be far enough away to be independent.

Olivia prepares to sneak out in the middle of the night, but she gets caught by both Jasper and Mouna (because Terrence is a good uncle and he told them lmao). Fearing that they’re going to stop her, Olivia stands up for herself and makes it clear that this is something she needs to do. Much to her shock, Jasper and Mouna encourage her to follow her dreams and come home a new woman. It’s a very soft moment when they all hug each other goodbye, and there’s lots of tears :’) Olivia leaves home knowing that her parents are worried, but they’ll support her decisions because they love her.

After their crazy trip (where Olivia second guesses herself a million times and wonders if she can really survive out in a world this chaotic), they finally arrive at the Amethystus Guild! Olivia literally bumps into Ginni and from there, they form an instant close friendship. Ginni respects Olivia’s desire to be independent and is somewhat envious she made the decision to leave her guild in order to become stronger. Olivia admires Ginni’s confident personality and her fearlessness. Together they get into LOTS of trouble lol, mostly led by Ginni who is a notorious troublemaker within the guild, with Olivia just along for the ride.

During all this, Olivia meets the guild’s official blacksmith and, upon seeing the incredible things he can create by using fire magic, starts to rethink her opinions about her own “cursed” fire magic. The blacksmith, normally a very closed off, grumpy, and rude person, notices Olivia’s conflict about fire, and decides he’s going to train her in order to help her overcome her fear. Through a lot of practice and very intense sessions, Olivia is finally able to confront her trauma and move past it—leading to her discovery that she’s a talented natural at using elemental magic, finding that it comes very easy to her and is something she can control without thinking too much. This is a rare skill, for normally it takes an elemental years of practice and training to have perfect control over their magic. On top of that, her fire is very pretty and beautiful to look at, a reflection of her soul. Her master berates her from hiding something so beautiful and pure for so long lol

Olivia finds passion in blacksmithing, and trains under her master in order to create beautiful and powerful weapons. She does get burned a few more times during this, leading to some relapses, but her master tells her it’s part of the job and something that every elemental will come across: they aren’t always the perfect masters of their magic, and sometimes can hurt themselves without meaning to. But being able to understand what went wrong and how to fix it will make her stronger. Within a couple years Olivia flourishes and evolves into one of the guild’s most fiercest fighters, with an excellent handle on her abilities!

Olivia and Ginni grow up together in Amethystus, and are pretty much inseparable. When Ginni gets kidnapped by the Forces and is missing for several weeks, Olivia is beside herself with worry. After Ginni returns with Kaz in tow, Olivia is one of the first people to accept him and trust him fully, because she believes in Ginni more than anybody else. (Kaz develops a soft spot towards Olivia because of this, and is forever grateful for her support.) Over time Olivia starts to realize just how awful Kaz’s life at the Forces was, and grows very sympathetic towards his situation. She understands wanting to start over somewhere new with a clean slate, though Kaz’s circumstances are much worse than hers, because she still has a loving family and home to return to someday. Olivia becomes determined to make Amethystus a home like that for Kaz, as well as Hiro, who they discuss recruiting to their side from the Forces. As Kaz continues to reveal more of his past, as well as Hiro’s, Olivia and Ginni both get very gung ho about going to fetch Hiro LOL because they both want him to be safe (though Kaz assures them Hiro isn’t in any sort of danger, being the colonel, as well as too intelligent to put himself in trouble).

Kaz meets with Hiro, who was actually sent out on a mission to fetch him, and they negotiate Hiro acting as a double agent for Amethystus to spy on the Forces. Hiro had already been planning on leaving the Forces at some point, so he sees this as a perfect opportunity to get back at them for years of mistreatment. Over the course of the next several months, Hiro routinely reports back to Amethystus of the Forces’ plans, their current hideouts, and everything he knows about the higher ups. During all this he and Olivia meet, and at this point Olivia has started to refer to the colonel as ‘Hiro’ in her head, because it’s too confusing for her to call him the colonel, and she reasons that since Ginni gave Kaz his name she might as well give Hiro his. (Also because she believes that he’s a true ‘hero’ for enduring all of that suffering for so long, so it fits ;D) She calls him Hiro by sheer accident, but luckily he takes to the name well haha and they start to grow closer >:’) Hiro comments on how close Kaz and Ginni have become and the two start betting on when they’ll get together lol

Eventually Hiro’s position as a double agent is discovered by Mallary and so he finally breaks away from the Forces (and Mallary’s manipulation) and starts living permanently at the guild. Olivia’s pretty happy about this. She can’t explain why but she feels very safe and at ease around him, and she’s the person he’s the gentlest and softest around—unbeknownst to her, this is because he’s fallen in love with her, but she’s completely oblivious to his feelings. She’s pretty dense when it comes to romantic stuff like this whoops. Olivia finds Hiro’s intelligence incredible and likes that he’s such a skilled fighter despite not being that strong physically. Hiro likes watching her do her blacksmithing duties and always has expert things to say on her craftsmanship. They get along very well! Olivia’s never felt more at home than with Ginni, Kaz, and Hiro, and likes the tight knit little group they’ve formed. She becomes very fond and protective of them and, upon realizing how important they are to her and how much she’s changed because of them and because of her decision to join Amethystus, she decides to cut her hair as another sign of her growth as a person, and as a sign of change! She finally discovers what she wants to do: become a master blacksmith, and work alongside her friends to protect everything they can, including taking down the Forces to set free all of the people forced to work for them, and bring peace to the land.

When the time comes to finally take down the Forces, Olivia starts to develop feelings for Hiro as well, though it takes her a while to figure out because she’s never really been in love before, and mistakes a lot of her attraction for simple admiration. As Hiro continues to put his life on the line for their group and do anything he can to protect them, Olivia starts to discover that maybe she wouldn’t mind spending the rest of her life with him. There’s a point where Hiro gets injured so badly in battle he’s certainly going to bleed out, so he pleads for her to use her fire magic to cauterize his wound. Olivia’s trauma comes crashing back in and her worst fears are confirmed: her magic will end up hurting the people most important to her. Hiro tells her that by doing this, she’s going to save him, that her magic is life itself. Encouraged by his words, Olivia burns Hiro to save him, though it’s an extremely painful thing for her to do :’( But it’s at this moment she realizes that she definitely is in love with him, and would sacrifice anything for him.

Not long after that, Mallary attacks, enraged, and accuses Olivia of stealing everything important away from her. It’s a really emotional battle;; Mallary basically vents out about being the one left behind, the only one who couldn’t find a happy ending, and who had the only people she cared about taken. She says some really nasty things to Olivia about Hiro lol and this really makes Olivia mad, so they basically duke it out over Mallary’s twisted feelings for Kaz and her perceived ownership of Hiro. And Olivia’s just like. Bitch you don’t own him!! He’s not an object or a toy for you to play with!! Yeah. It’s nuts

After the grand battle with the Forces comes to an end and everything is resolved, Olivia decides to confess her feelings to Hiro, but it doesn’t...really go as planned. Hiro gently rejects her, but Olivia takes it the wrong way, still not realizing how head over heels for her he is. Shortly after this, Hiro and Kaz part ways with the guild, deciding to go on their own personal journeys of self discovery. During the year they’re gone, Olivia laments over her feelings for Hiro, miserable that she didn’t realize how she felt until it was too late, and miserable because she might never see him again. Eventually she tries to move on from that, but Ginni repeatedly tells her that Hiro is literally holding a torch for her lmao and that she shouldn’t let it go so quickly. Olivia protests constantly and strives to work harder to become a better blacksmith and stronger guild member, trying to put her feelings aside and ignore them.

Of course, when she and Ginni eventually reunite with Kaz and Hiro, Olivia realizes that shit I’m still in love with him and my feelings haven’t gone away, they’ve just grown stronger during the year we were apart;; luckily for her Hiro’s gone through a lot of self reflection and feels ready to be in a relationship with her, so, after a rocky road of awkward confessions and pouring out their feelings, they FINALLY get together.

The four of them go on a journey together! There’s some problems when Hiro runs into his childhood friend and first love, Lorelai, but in the end he shows he’s pretty damn dedicated to Olivia and it’s super soft. I just. I just love them so m u c h //shakes fists

AND THAT IS ALL FOLKS!! Most of it anyway lol

Extra personality traits:

-Very compassionate and caring about others—she’s a very motherly type. She’s able to get people to open up to her easily because of how friendly she is. She also settles disputes within the guild often, being the mediator between arguments

-A social butterfly. Probably the most social one out of the group, and the one most used to conversing with other people

-She’s got a lot of self-esteem issues because of her upbringing (and really, I promise Jasper is not a bad parent!! He’s just concerned), but she’s learned how to handle it better. She’s definitely way more confident than she was before!

-Tends to be very indecisive when it comes to big decisions, and is hesitant about fighting—though she will put her all into it if the stakes are high. She CAN whoop your ass

-Super passionate about blacksmithing! It’s her true calling, and something she throws herself into fully. She’s very artful with her work and makes gorgeous pieces, and tends to ramble on about the specifics even when nobody understands lol

-A bit oblivious and airheaded sometimes. She’s completely unaware of several of the guild members’ feelings for her, including Hiro’s.

-VERY affectionate. Because she was isolated from other kids as a child, she’s very touchy feely and loves expressing her affection through casual touches. And lots of hugs!

-Since she’s the sweetest and nicest person in the group, she is terrifying when she’s angry. She’s super protective of her friends and won’t hesitate to leap into action to keep them safe, often getting very fierce when she does so

-She hates being alone. Being raised in an atmosphere with so many people around, she isn’t used to being by herself, and her instant source of comfort is being near others

-Isn’t afraid to tease her friends or state her opinion when it really counts

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inadeeptrance · 4 years ago

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A Chennai Winter

The early 2000s. The mobile phone was not that indispensable. Yet, he carried one that he could fit in his normal-sized palm. He waited for her outside her workplace, having already requested the security guard to inform her that he was there. He used this time to try and nail down something that was bugging him. He liked her. Having met through family friends and with most exchanges through instant messenger and emails, they had a little awkwardness about them every time they met in person. It was that awkwardness that was bothering him. He wanted her to be comfortable around him, shut him up when his jokes didn't land, or even better, counter him with some of her own. They were not there yet. There was a little bit of forced formality accompanying them at every stage. How do I make her comfortable? he worried. He came out of his reverie as he saw her walk towards him. She looked lovely. He liked her very much. He was conscious of the indulgent grin the security guard was giving them. He smiled at him first and then gave her his full attention.

'Any plans, today?' he asked her. 'Just going home or engayaavadhu velila...'

This was another issue he had cultivated unintentionally. They stuck to English most of the time. Two sentences in English and then either a phrase or word in Thamizh somehow became the format for their conversations. He couldn't get rid of this custom that he was sure he didn't apply with anyone else. Somehow, he had sucked her into this mode as well.

'Nothing much. The usual shopping and maybe velila dinner.'

Much like Chennai's pedestrians, they moved with a start-stop approach, extremely watchful of the surroundings and avoiding pitfalls of all kinds. He didn't drive in the city, and neither did she. They would typically hop on an autorickshaw and go to either a coffee joint and then drop her off at her place. She was telling him something about her work. With the hustle and bustle, conscious of how close they were and holding her hand gingerly and releasing it immediately, and the zillion thoughts in his head, he couldn't catch all of what she was saying. On top of it, he was also trying to flag down an auto. They had covered a lot of ground. He had failed on the auto front. 'Do you want to stop for coffee? There is a 'Coffee Day' right under the overpass if I am not mistaken.' 'Yeah... I was just asking you that.' she laughed. 'Sorry, missed that. All this saththam...' Seriously, who talks with such bilingual proficiency? As he had no idea what she had been talking about this whole time, he felt he had to open up a new topic. Given that she grew up in Bombay, he wanted to impress upon her that he knew a few Hindi songs. 'So, tell me this... Kishore Kumar or Rafi?' he blurted out. 'Oh, wow, does it have to be an either-or?' she asked. 'Well, it doesn't, really...' and he didn't have a follow-up. 'Actually, I think I will go with a song rather than the singer,' she said, trying to help him out. 'Do you have a preference?' 'You are right. They have both held their own. Nalla range of songs.', he said, with a mental apology to Kishore Kumar. 'So which song is your earworm these days?', she wanted to know. He couldn't think of a single Kishore Kumar song. The kind of brain freeze that was several degrees below freezing point led his mind as far away from Kishore Kumar as possible. He was also eager to share that he had an eclectic taste when it comes to music. All combined thoughts came out as 'Kiss from a rose.' She slowed down in her walk just a bit. Oh god, I didn't slip in words like kiss, trust me, he wanted to say. He felt that giving any such explanation would only make it even more cumbersome. So he let it hang there. Seal probably didn't have him in mind while singing the lines, 'There is so much a man can tell you, so much he can say.' But he kept these thoughts to himself. 'That is not a Kishore Kumar song, illa..?', she said. 'Haha... no. I listen to all kinds. This is Seal, I think. I saw the movie which had this song on the soundtrack, and I've been humming it. Nalla smooth song...' he continued while thinking, 'Dei brain, stick to a topic and stick to one language. What the hell...' They made it to the coffee shop. In general, Chennai and 'Coffee Day' in particular seemed to be embracing two traditions at once. This being December, there was a Christmas star at the entrance, right above a bright Rangoli for maargazhi. 'Chalo, we made it to coffee,' she said triumphantly. 'Chalo Chalo,' he added while cursing in his mind for now having to deal with a third language. They ordered their coffees, and he offered to pay. 'You don't have to do this every time, you know?' she said relatively lightly, but he wasn't sure what she was referring to. Was it the paying the bills or the agreeing to everything part. He was happy to do both. As they sat down to enjoy the coffee, he asked her what song she was into these days. 'Vellai PookkaL' she said before he could even finish his question. 'Oh yes, Rahman, right?' 'Yes, from Kannaththil Muththamittaal,' she added. Did she give the slightest wink, or was it his imagination? Nice segue from 'Kiss from a rose' to 'Kannaththil Muththamittal' (Kiss on the cheek) if she had planned it that way. He relaxed a bit and decided to get it clarified. But, she spoke first with an 'it's a light piece that you can easily hum along to,' and he found himself agreeing to it rather than getting the risky clarification out in the open. Yeah... he said. The silence set in, and it was deafening. He couldn't help thinking that he was blowing it. He was having more conversations with himself than with her. She was rummaging her handbag, and he was sure she was doing it to avoid conversation. 'Can you call my phone? I might have left it back in the office.' she said. 'Thank god, she is genuinely looking for something,' he thought with relief. He picked up his phone and called her - hoping she didn't notice that he had her on speed dial. Her phone rang from somewhere inside her bag. She smiled at him and continued to sort things out in her purse to find the phone. He, however, went all quiet. It was her ringtone. Despite the low-tech format, the ringtone was quite distinct. The Mouna Raagam theme. She looked up, phone in hand and a smile that hit him with force. She noticed his expression and said, 'What...?'. 'Unnoda ringtone...' he said. It was still playing. 'Oh, sorry,' she said. 'I let it ring without interruption. It is such a lovely piece. I often miss calls just to hear the ringtone play in its entirety.' There was an absolute clarity forming in his head. She continued with 'what a lovely piece. This is from an old movie. I like it as much for the heroine's character, Divya in Mouna Raagam, as anything else music-wise. I think the music captures her so well with this piece. Have you heard it before?' 'Tell me more,' he said and proceeded to hear from her everything he already liked about the movie, about Divya, and about the music. He then shared how he likes how IR uses different instruments for the same tune, depending on the situation. It can be uplifting when it is the guitar strings. It can be pathos when it is violin-heavy and even more so if it is a solo violin. It is Divya's theme, and her narrative rolled into one. At some point, he realized that he was sticking to Thamizh and was having an actual conversation with her. Somewhere between the coffee shop and her place, which they covered by walking all the way, they talked about a million things and even fought over half of them. While saying goodbye to him that evening, she confided, 'I like Kishore Kumar more. I thought you should know.' He loved her.

On cold winter mornings, he will catch her gazing outside their window, sipping steaming coffee. Like him, she will have this far-off smile, and more often than not, they will go for a walk around the block hand-in-hand.

"God gave us memories so that we can have roses in December."

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

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