do you mean similar to mulan or is it your own interpretation of mulan? ;o cause it's gotta be the latter (but like whatever you wanna do with the character is totally up to you, within reasonable grounds. like making her a dragon or something wild and out of the left field is probably not cool with us.)
Here's my Mulan CS. She's a real crankypants. There are probably a bunch of mistakes or things that I'm unhappy with, particularly in the Bio section, but I'll proofread it later. I'll find a picture soon too.
MULAN
"The flower that blooms in adversity... is the most rare and beautiful of them all."
T H E H E R O
• N A M E
Hua Mulan (花木蘭)
• S T O R Y
Ballad of Mulan
• B I R T H P L A C E
China, Easternmost
• M A G I C
No.
• A G E
32
• R O M A N T I C I N T E R E S T S
Since the loss of her homeland, including her family, Mulan has been reluctant to start any meaningful romantic relationship. Her mind is too occupied by other things like her job and fixing the Cataclysm. Though she has the occasional fling here and there, any attempt at something more will be politely rebuked, unless there’s someone out there impressive enough to pique her interest and invested enough to coax her out of her shell.
• A T T I R E
Short side-swept hair that varies between shades of black and brown, depending on if she remembers to re-dye it. A generally cute face with a button nose and cheerful double-lidded eyes, which is a poor indicator for her now brusque personality. Could usually be found with a dozy content smile on her face, though that has been rare ever since the Cataclysm. Now that smile is replaced with an unimpressed-looking stare. Somehow looks androgynous when she ties her hair up, which catches the attention of people of all genders. Mulan is the proud owner of quite the athletic body, forged during her military service and maintained by her morning routine and weekly visits to the gym. She is noticeably toned, a lot more than a usual woman of her age. Callused hands and several scars can be found on her body, the noticeable of the scars being a large, deep cut on the left side of her torso. Doesn’t put much effort or money into her appearance but still barely passes as “not unfashionable”. Wears clothes that are easy to move around in, usually light-coloured jeans, sneakers, a simple loose t-shirt and light jacket. Doesn’t own much clothing and has one particular army jacket she seems to prefer. Overall, her fashion sense is slightly masculine.
I N A L A N D F A R F A R A W A Y . . .
• H E R O ' S N A T U R E
When examining this legendary warrior, it is important to distinguish between the clumsy, tomboyish teenage girl who entered the war, the disciplined yet gentle soldier who emerged, and the guilt-ridden pessimist who currently resides in Mystvale. Fundamentally, Mulan is a warm hearted person. Before the conscription, she was outgoing, spoke her mind and helped others whenever she could. Of course, Ancient China wasn’t a sort of society that welcomed these traits in a young woman. Her personality generated some friction between her and her elders, which led to a lot of self doubt and a general awkwardness that was apparent whenever she engaged in conversation with anyone. Her time in the army changed much of this. Over time her confidence grew and constant exposure to her comrades made her more outgoing. Both these elements evolved as she became more capable, physically and emotionally. By the time her service was over she was an accomplished adult who was admired by her peers. Most of her youthful sheepishness was gone, though occasionally it reappears. A notable trait of her personality that emerged during this era is her fierce loyalty, to her fellow soldiers and her country. From this primary trait also came a new respect for honour and tradition. Now as a detective in Mystvale, most people view her as antisocial and gruff. Many attribute it to her years in the company of soldiers. In reality, it stems from the lack of progress done to fix the Cataclysm, which has worn through her patience long ago. Mulan exudes an air of tiredness and though her kind nature still lies under the surface, her overall demeanour makes it seem like she has a raging hatred for most people.
• R E N O W N E D S K I L L S
Mulan’s skillset is that of any soldier who has served in an army for 12 years. In terms of combat, she is experienced in Chinese swordsmanship, archery, horse-riding, and unarmed combat. She has also gained limited skills in war tactics and leadership. In recent years, some of these skills have gotten slightly rusty. When working as an officer, Mulan utilises her sword skills with a police baton or heavy torch.
• F A T A L F L A W
Like many heroes, Mulan possesses a strong loyalty to those close to her. Rather than it being a self-sacrificial sort of loyalty, Mulan’s is more of a single-track-mindedness. When faced with a goal she absolutely must achieve, Mulan will do whatever it takes to achieve it and help those close to her. This could lead to the alienation of people trying to help her or even overriding the wishes of those who she is trying to help. Though she has never been pushed so far, her strong sense of honour may also be tested by this flaw.
• O N C E U P O N A T I M E
Mulan was born the eldest to a loving family. Though she served her duties as a daughter faithfully, the others in the village regarded her with distaste. She was at the prime age for marriage, yet Mulan could not devote herself to that particular duty. With the threat of invasion coming from all around the borders of China, conscription was a common occurrence. The draft poster made it clear. One able-bodied man from every household was the requirement. Her little brother wasn’t anywhere near old enough to be considered a man. Her father, having spent his glory days on the battlefield, was far from able-bodied. Failure to produce a soldier would result in punishment. It took some convincing, but after many lengthy and heated discussions, Mulan was able to convince her parents to let her go. The townsfolk wouldn’t miss her if she left. And she would do anything for her family. She was gifted with enough money to buy a horse and some supplies. And with that, she set off. Army life was tough at first. She was physically weaker than all the other soldiers. Constant marching and camping and training made her question her life choices almost every night. Muscle pains would be met with more pains the next day. And then there were the wars themselves. Bloodshed, lots of it caused by her own blade. It might have bothered others, the act of taking countless lives. Scratch that, it definitely bothered others. As she lay at night, woken by the screams and sobs of her comrades, Mulan would ask herself if she should be feeling the same. She quickly decided against it. She was doing all this for her family after all. She needed to be strong, stronger than the rest. It got easier as time went on. She learnt well, made friends as well as highly-ranked connections. Mulan entered the fast-track of military life in due time. The Cataclysm struck five years into her service. By then she had climbed the ranks comfortably, and was sitting on the title of Captain. The army dwindled considerably as men needed to return to their farms and combat the famines. Neighbouring countries grew more desperate as the seas blackened and crops started dying, leading them to try and seize more Chinese territory. Mulan fought hard during these years, gaining her a reputation as a national hero. But the problems only grew worse over time. During the tenth year of her time in the army, the soldier was offered a promotion from the Emperor himself. Instead Mulan humbly requested a horse to ride back on, so that she could help her family during these troubled times. After reuniting with her loved ones, Mulan did her best to maintain her family’s livelihood. But she was beginning to lose hope. A few months passed and she was suddenly approached by a strange man named Merlin. He offered her a chance to go on another journey, one to find a solution to the Cataclysm in another world. Mulan put on her former armour, packed her things and bid her family farewell, hoping to find a chance to save them in this strange land.
• A N E W C H A P T E R
She didn’t let the marvels of this new world get to her head. She knew what she was looking for, and who would be able to find it for her. Out of all the new inhabitants of Mystvale, Mulan was probably one of Merlin’s frequent visitors and the one who pestered him the most about his progress with the Cataclysm. In the mean time, she took a job with the local police force. As the years went on, she grew most dejected and impatient. She hasn’t lost all her hope yet. She continues to wait as she begrudgingly picks up Holmes’ slack at the station. With rumours of a Second Cataclysm, Mulan is both on edge and excited. Maybe this one will give her the answers she needs. If she manages to live through it.
you guys don't have to read the long story of the history bit, its mostly for my reference and to get inside the head of rumpelstiltskin. The summary does cover all the important bits.
I used other folktale characters in the history, but i purposefully chose some that i thought no one else would think to use if someone else wanted to join such as Frau Trude and The Emperor's New Clothes. Sorry if i wrote a lot, i got carried away T_T
“I’ve been accused of having a death wish but I think it’s life that I wish for, terribly, shamelessly, on any terms whatsoever.” ― Tennessee Williams, Sweet Bird of Youth
Rumpelstiltskin. The Emperor's New Clothes. Mentions of Frau Trude, but not the explicit story.
• B I R T H P L A C E
Bellgarde.
• M A G I C
Yes and no. Rumpelstiltskin was not born with magic, but has stolen it from Frau Trude, a witch.
Rumpelstiltskin has the ability to spin straw into gold as well as changing her appearance at will.
• A G E
Thirty-one.
• R O M A N T I C I N T E R E S T S
Above every other want in her life, Rumpelstiltskin wants love. She just wants someone to love her in a way she never has before and will do anything to get it. Unsurprisingly, Rumpelstiltskin has never had any luck in dating and has been single since the day she is born. At this point, if someone is willing to love her, she'll accept that love no matter the gender, sexual orientation, or even if Rumpelstiltskin loves them back. She just wants to know how it will feel to have someone care about her well-being.
• A T T I R E
Rumpelstiltskin was born ugly. Not just ugly, but downright hideous. Though Rumpelstiltskin refuses to talk about it, rumors have been spread about her appearance due to her name being related to goblin-like creatures. The main rumor is that she was born incredibly short, with a long pointed nose, and wrinkled rough skin. People claim that her eyes were bulbous and a cataract-like blue color and her teeth were crooked, gums black. The most talked about is how her head was nearly bald, with only a few straggly oily strands hang around her face. Of course, this is all just a rumor and can’t be proven – but don’t dare say such rumors around her, no way to make her angrier quicker. After her transformation, there was no way to describe Rumpelstiltskin as anything but beautiful. She has a diamond-shaped head with a strong jaw and a slightly-pointed chin. Her eyes are small and a light blue color with a dabble of brown by the pupil. They are almond shaped and shrewd-looking, giving her a sly appearance like a fox or a snake. Her nose is pert and pointed, but her nostrils are rather wide, making her nose look slightly disproportionate to the rest of her face. Rumpelstiltskin has thin, twisted lips, with the right side higher up than the left, and her cupid’s bow is narrow and undefined. She is rather pale and with a light pink-peach coloration that makes her look awkward when wearing yellow or other light colors. Rumpelstiltskin’s hair is thick and the perfect amount of curly and wavy, the color of it a pale golden blonde.
She stands at 5’6” in height and is a rather healthy weight. She has a slightly wide set of hips, but the rest of her is average. Rumpelstiltskin tends to hold herself rather oddly, idiosyncratically almost. When she moves, she moves in two ways: lazily, with languish movements and a dazed eye, though she is completely sober; or jerkily, with energetic snaps of the wrist and bouncing of the feet. But both of the ways she moves she does so gracelessly and clumsily, often causing an accident that she’s not sorry for whatsoever.
In Bellegarde, Rumpelstiltskin traditionally wore a black outfit. Her pants were made of tight leather, though her shirt was made of cotton, dyed black. The black shirt exposed her sternum, though the exposure stopped where the black cotton belt tied the shirt together, and the extra stiff material flared out at her waist. Her sleeves were scrunched around her forearms. Rumpelstiltskin wore a metal choker around her neck, imbedded with diamonds, and painted her lips a dark red as well as lined her eyes with kohl. Her blonde hair cascaded down her chest in soft waves.
In Washington, Rumpelstiltskin typically wears comfortable yet elegant clothes. Silk button-ups, cardigans and tanktops, slacks and dark skinny jeans and heels or flats. Rumpelstiltskin, or Ettie as she is at this point, does not dress to catch attention, but for comfort. When out and about, she looks collected and comfortable, but with a business-like quality in the way she presents herself. However, when at home, Ettie typically sheds most of her clothes and walks around in her button-ups and her silky undergarments.
• H E R O ' S N A T U R E
Rumpelstiltskin is a villain, it’s plain and simple for everyone to see. The blonde is selfish, and puts not only her safety above everyone else, but her wants and whims. Many times she has earned someone’s anger by screwing them over for her own gain – sometimes, even, for her own amusement. To even further villain-ify Rumpelstiltskin, she obviously has a lack of morals which can be seen in her tricking women into giving her their children, murdering those who have provoked her ire, and making a fool of everybody in humiliating ways. She’s cruel and doesn’t bother to spare a glance at the hurt she has caused or even question her actions. Though she doesn’t revel in the anguish and pain she causes, she’s careless and nonchalant about things that she inadvertently (or directly) brought about. Rumpelstiltskin doesn’t think about her actions and impulsively does things on a whim, diving head first recklessly, not thinking of the consequences – whether it harm her or someone else. A lot of times, Rumpelstiltskin acts smug, like she knows something you don’t, which is certainly not true, but she likes to pretend she does.
What makes her truly dangerous, however, is her rather unpredictable nature. She does things on whims as they come and go and her mind is rather creative in coming up with tricks and plans to make fools of others for personal amusement. She’s sly and purposefully hides her intentions with a pretty smile and friendly disposition. Rumpelstiltskin makes herself appear like a friendly ear and open, she acts expressively and tends to joke around with people, almost never serious. Though she has sarcastic quips, most of the type she displays a weird sense of humor with vague observations and references as well as a tendency to make others feel awkward.
The main flaw in her faux friendliness is her impersonal take on things. People can bare their souls to her, but she will not do the same to them, and instead keeps others at a distance from her inner emotions and conflicts. If there is someone who thinks they are close to Rumpelstiltskin, and someone else asks for secrets concerning her, they wouldn’t be able to tell anything because they simply don’t know most of the time – unless they find it out through other means.
In truth, Rumpelstiltskin keeps others at a distance because she distrusts humanity. Due to her experiences as a youngling, Rumpelstiltskin has developed a cynical view of the world and other people. She believes that everyone else is vain and cruel, deep inside, though they try to act as if they don’t – she firmly holds that, even when someone does something kind, they do it for selfish reasons, such as recognition or favor. Over everything, Rumpelstiltskin has a deep hatred for vain and narcissistic people because of how she was treated. It’s because of these vain and narcissistic people that Rumpelstiltskin is extremely insecure. Though she searches for people to love her, she is afraid that she is unloveable and a monster undeserving of attention. Her biggest fear is rejection, so she keeps others at a distance so they can’t reject her – even when she has had children in her grasp, she ends up giving them to another family, because she’s afraid that when they cry, they cry because of her (though this is typically not true). Her insecurity has rendered her incredibly lonely and she longs to be loved and to have company – if someone were to love her, she would accept them, even if she didn’t necessarily love them back. Her yearning for such love as secretly developed itself into a hopeless romanticism. Rumpelstiltskin has a positive outlook on love, though she has a terrible view on everything else. Because of her lack of relationship history – extreme lack, since Rumpelstiltskin has never been in a relationship – she is naïve when it comes to dating, and expects things to go smoothly and perfectly. She has preconceived, stereotypical notions about dating that are, mostly, not true.
• R E N O W N E D S K I L L S
A sly, cruel trickster, Rumpelstiltskin's ultimate skill is her ability to outwit and trick others. Rumpelstiltskin is creative in finding ways to fool others to succumb to her plans unwittingly. Furthermore, Rumpelstiltskin is amazing in spinning and weaving clothes (can even spin straw into gold) and is rather proficient in most things textile.
• F A T A L F L A W
Rumpelstiltskin's fatal flaw is her key characteristic: her selfishness. She has made many enemies because of her quick disregard of loyalty and screwing others over to get what she wants. Rumpelstiltskin is cynical when it comes to the world and expects people to betray her, so she is quick to do it first. There are many people who wish her dead because of her actions and Rumpelstiltskin always has to be careful not to give them an opportunity to make their wish come true. Furthermore, it is without a doubt, that someday, her selfish actions will lead to her downfall - much like Beni Gabor's did in The Mummy.
• O N C E U P O N A T I M E
On a cold wintry night with a missing moon and dull, chilled stars, a vain and narcissistic farmer’s wife pushed and screamed while strewn across their barn’s hay and a hideous, goblin-babe was dragged from the depths of the dark. As the newborn’s father pulled her into his arms, cradling the strangely ragged and scarred skin of the child, warm candlelight shined across her face and a chorus of screams echoed in the barn.
The farmer’s wife named this ugly child Rumpelstilzchen, after the rumpelstilz, the rattle goblins. As Rumpelstilzchen aged day by day, she received no love from her mother or brother, and only felt the calloused and rough caress of her father. The young baby was banished by the farmer’s wife to the barn, to sleep and eat and live in the bug-infested hay with the horses and cows, while the family lived inside the warmer and cleaner house. Her mother refused to nurse her and instead, her father sustained her with the slightest bit of goat milk he could without his wife noticing. Growing up, Rumpelstilzchen was never allowed to leave the barn and her world revolved around her father and the animals inside – Rumpelstilzchen even believed that the barn was the extent of the world and there was nothing outside of it. She had no concept of father and mother, but only saw her father as a man that helped her and taught her – after the day of her birth, Rumpelstilzchen has never seen her mother or brother. The farmer was the only person she could rely on in the world.
However, as time passed, and Rumpelstilzchen became a child of five, the farmer began to have doubts – Rumpelstilzchen bared no resemblance to him. Though she was as ugly as a child as she was a babe, she still had the same wide crystalline-blue eyes of his wife. He began to suspect that his wife had had an affair and her immoral infidelity led to the child’s disturbing appearance. One night, five-year-old Rumpelstilzchen sat on top of her hay stack in the barn, waiting for her father to come with her meal and water. For three days and nights she waited – her throat was dry and ragged, her stomach empty and hollow, her head aching, but he still didn’t come. Though the farmer told her to never leave the barn, she gathered her courage and slid the doors open.
The sky was a rippling canvas of blue, cotton clouds rolling across it smoothly, and the distant chirping sounds Rumpelstilzchen always heard became louder and clearer as rats with wings swept along the tree line. A lonely house stood half a mile away, the windows barred and the rooms silent. When Rumpelstilzchen searched it, she found it empty – of people and furniture. The young Rumpelstilzchen didn’t quite decipher what happened, but as an older woman, Rumpelstilzchen figured that her family had abandoned her.
Rumpelstilzchen lived on the farm by herself for several years. The farm animals were her only friends and she cared for them carefully and lovingly. She ate whatever she managed to dig up in the weird-looking patches of dirt around the farm and gave the extras to the animals. Though the house she found was more conventionally comfortable, Rumpelstilzchen didn’t like living alone and instead continued to sleep in the barn with the animals. When she wasn’t eating or digging, Rumpelstilzchen spent her time exploring the woods and finding oddly shaped sticks and smooth rocks that she brought home and stored inside the house.
Eventually, Rumpelstilzchen stumbled upon a nearby village. As she entered, astonished as seeing people, others screamed and shouted at her appearance. Rumpelstilzchen attempted to communicate with them with the limited vocabulary her father taught her, but the village people picked up stones and sticks and threw them at her, calling her a demon and an imp. Rumpelstilzchen fled the village and returned to the farm, confused and flustered. The days afterwards, Rumpelstilzchen spent her time watching the village from a hill, hidden from their sights. Through watching them, Rumpelstilzchen picked up more language skills and learned more about the world.
Years passed by and soon Rumpelstilzchen was around the age of ten (or so she assumed, she couldn’t exactly pinpoint her age, but by comparing herself to the other children, she could estimate). She was on the hill, watching the village, when she was approached by a girl two years older than her. The village girl befriended Rumpelstilzchen, despite her appearance, and they played together often. Rumpelstilzchen was very fond of the village girl, whose name she never knew, and looked forward to their time together – where once the promise of tomorrow was bleak and lonely, it was now bright and hopeful. The village girl often would appear at the farm and help Rumpelstilzchen dig for food, or would sometimes bring Rumpelstilzchen bread from her uncle’s bakery.
Unfortunately, good things don’t last. Rumpelstilzchen and the village girl were friends for two years, good friends. The village girl even gave Rumpelstilzchen her own birthday to celebrate since Rumpelstilzchen didn’t know her own. Matter of fact, it was on the day after her birthday where everything went downhill. It was at night and Rumpelstilzchen returned to the farm after digging up turnips and picking wild strawberries. Knocking on her house was a mob of angry villagers. Upon seeing her, they yelled and shouted at her, called her a murderer and a demon. Stones and sticks were thrown, fire was brandished against her and pressed against her skin as hands grabbled and scratched across her arms and legs. They spat on her and cursed her, tossed her and strangled her, and when they were done, she could hardly move.
She fell asleep in that spot and didn’t move until the morning. The village girl never came to see her after that. Rumpelstilzchen sat on the hill for days, watching the village to see if she could catch a glimpse of her only friend. It was weeks before Rumpelstilzchen saw her, moving about the village with bruises upon her face and jaw. Donning a cloak the girl had given her for winter, Rumpelstilzchen slunk into the village in order to meet the village girl and question her. When Rumpelstilzchen approached her, the girl seemed surprised, and when the goblin-like twelve year old asked where she had been, the girl told her that she was not allowed to be around Rumpelstilzchen anymore.
“Why not?” Rumpelstilzchen choked out, drawing the cloak closer to her body when a fisherman passed by.
The village girl, battered and bruised, crossed her arms and glanced to the side and said quietly, “Because you’re ugly.”
Embarrassed, Rumpelstilzchen left. For several months, she did not leave the farm.
It was six months before Rumpelstilzchen returned to the hill to listen to village chatter. The twelve-year-old didn’t bother to hide herself, but instead sat openly on the hill with her cloak draped around her. Every time a villager glanced up at her, Rumpelstilzchen scowled and ducked her head until they looked away, but they never bothered her.
Rumpelstilzchen learned how to spin and weave by watching the village women spin and weave together outside. She made her own hand spindle and stole a spinning wheel from one of the women, but they dare not say anything less the demon child curse them. Rumpelstilzchen spent her mornings feeding the farm animals and the rest of her day sitting on the hill, spinning and weaving. To keep herself occupied, Rumpelstilzchen listened to the villagers gossip as they roved around the markets. It was through their gossip that Rumpelstilzchen learned of a witch named Frau Trude who was able to permanently change the appearance of others.
Rumpelstilzchen entered the village at night, when everyone went to bed, and traveled to a small cottage on the edge of the village. She knocked three times before it was opened by a plump, old woman with one green eye and one strangely-colored blue eye.
“Are you Frau Trude?” Rumpelstilzchen asked quietly, wringing her hands together. The old woman smiled at her and crooked a finger at the now-thirteen year old, beckoning her inside.
“What can I do for you, child?” Frau Trude questioned, sitting in her rocking chair and stoking the fire in her fire place. Rumpelstilzchen sat on the ground before the fire, though she was oddly cold, the fire providing no warmth. Passionately, Rumpelstilzchen explained the hardship she has gone through due to her ugly appearance.
“Please, Frau Trude, change my appearance.” Frau Trude smiled at Rumpelstilzchen, patting her hand before stoking the fire once more.
“I have not had any children come visit me – the fire is cold because of that. Only children can warm it.” Frau Trude smiled maternally at Rumpelstilzchen, before frowning. “I cannot permanently change the appearance of another person.”
Rumpelstilzchen sat back on her heels, her heart sinking in her chest. There was a distinct tension in her belly and back, a convulsion of muscles preparing for something, though Rumpelstilzchen didn’t know what. “Well, I heard that you could…” She said petulantly.
“I can only change my own lastingly.” Frau Trude said, her tone apologetic.
“Your own?” Rumpelstilzchen stared at Frau Trude, an old woman who was ugly and old. Her power was wasted on her if she didn’t even use it. “Oh.”
Frau Trude poked at the fire again, closing her eyes for a moment to listen to the crackle of fire. It happened before Rumpelstilzchen realized it. Somehow, Rumpelstilzchen had wrestled the fire iron from Frau Trude’s hands. Frau Trude jumped up in alarm, reaching for the poker or perhaps it was for Rumpelstilzchen’s neck. Rumpelstilzchen knocked Frau Trude over and swung the fire iron repeatedly. Thwap. Thwap. Thwap. Each time, the sharp end hit the old witch in the temple. Blood spattered across the room and onto the floor and across Rumpelstilzchen’s face.
When Frau Trude stilled indefinitely, Rumpelstilzchen didn’t feel a morsel of shame or regret in herself. She wasn’t scared, nor was she exhilarated – she felt rather blasé about her first murder. The tension left her belly and back and Rumpelstilzchen felt reborn.
In the wee hours of the morning, before anyone was out of bed, a beautiful blonde thirteen year old girl exited out of the witch’s cottage, and left the village forever.
Rumpelstilzchen died that day. Instead, she was reborn as the blonde and beautiful Rumpelstiltskin.
Rumpelstiltskin was a completely different person when she left the village. Her personality before was serious and timid, but now she was loud, brash, and was very, very rarely serious. From the ages thirteen to seventeen, Rumpelstiltskin spent her time travelling the world, fooling those who she wished to fool and leaving destruction in her wake. She killed people, robbed people, tricked people. Anything to get back at the world that gave her such a cruel childhood.
One of Rumpelstiltskin’s favorite gigs was the time she approached a vain, narcissistic emperor – those of the vain and narcissistic nature were her favorite to play tricks on – and pretended to give him magnificent robes that was invisible to anyone unfit of their position or stupid. Everyone pretended to see it as the emperor marches through the town completely nude. Of course, when her trickery was pointed out, the emperor wasn’t too happy and Rumpelstiltskin had to leave rather quickly.
However, the emperor’s temper did not simmer down with her absence. Instead, he had a witch hunt Rumpelstiltskin down and take something precious from her. The witch did as she told and had caught Rumpelstiltskin as she was tricking a town into giving her their pigs. The witch bagged Rumpelstiltskin and tied her to a tree as she prepared a strong, unbreakable curse to cast onto her. Unfortunately for the witch, Rumpelstiltskin tricked the witch and escaped her clutches. In the last moments, as Rumpelstiltskin ran through the woods, the witch managed to cast one curse before the blond could completely escape. Shouting into the forest, the witch cursed Rumpelstiltskin to a childless life, rendering her infertile.
Though Rumpelstiltskin never said so in many words, she was looking forward to being a mother. Her entire life, she never knew what it was like to be loved, but if she were to have a child, the baby would have no choice but to love her. Rumpelstiltskin had always looked forward to a life as a mother, coddling and raising her own child and soothing the loneliness in her heart. After the witch’s curse, Rumpelstiltskin became crueler and more selfish than she ever was before. She tricked women into giving her their newborn baby, but when the baby showed the smallest signs of rejection – whether it be just the smallest cry or the unintentional cold look – Rumpelstiltskin gave the babe to someone else to raise, afraid of being hated.
The most notorious of her baby scams is when she tricked the miller’s daughter, who became a queen. Rumpelstiltskin spun straw into gold for the miller’s daughter, giving her time and effort for days, weeks, months, in order to get a child that she knew would come along. However, at the last moment she was thwarted by that damned miller’s daughter-turned-queen. She never really recovered from such a loss and had convinced herself that, if she had managed to take the babe, the baby would have loved her more than any other mother in the world. Of course, this was a self-deprecating sense of denial that Rumpelstiltskin couldn’t shake.
Yet still, Rumpelstiltskin continued on. She tricked people. She got drunk. She took babies. She got drunk. She ran away from enemies. Though her life was miserable, she felt free, and that freedom was taken away from her by The Cataclysm.
Long story short, Rumpelstilzchen was born immensely ugly. Unbelievably ugly. She was scorned by her mother and brother and banished to live in a barn. For the first five or six years of her life, she had never been outside of the barn or had seen anyone other than the farm animals inside the barn and her father. Her father was kind to her, feeding her goat milk when she was a babe, and teaching her slightly as she grew older. However, when her father began to suspect Rumpelstilzchen was the daughter of another man’s, the farmer’s family disappeared. For the first time in her life, Rumpelstilzchen left the barn to find that her family had abandoned her.
Now free, Rumpelstilzchen lived on the farm, taking care of the animals and scavenging for food in the remains of her family’s crops. Eventually, she discovered a village on the other side of the woods – however, when she tried to enter it, she was shunned and chased off because of her ugly appearance. Confused by their reaction, Rumpelstilzchen didn’t enter the village again, but instead watched it from a hill. By listening in on the conversations in the nearby market, Rumpelstilzchen learned more about the world and language. When she was ten years old, a village girl befriended Rumpelstilzchen and they were friends for a good two years. However, the day after her birthday, Rumpelstilzchen was attacked by a mob at her farm for unknown reasons. Afterwards, the village girl no longer visited Rumpelstilzchen. Eventually, Rumpelstilzchen went looking for the village girl and found her in the village, bruised and beaten. When asked why she could no longer be around Rumpelstilzchen, the village girl replied ashamedly that it was because Rumpelstilzchen was ugly.
Rumpelstilzchen did not return to the hill until six months later. By then, she stopped hiding herself when she was on the hill, but instead sat in the open and listened to the village gossip and scowled at anybody who glanced at her. By watching the village women, Rumpelstilzchen learns how to spin and weave. Eventually, she heard of gossip of a witch in the town named Frau Trude that could permanently change someone’s appearance. Rumpelstilzchen approaches the witch to ask her for help, but Frau Trude refuses because she cannot permanently change someone else’s appearance, only her own. In order to steal her magic, Rumpelstilzchen beats Frau Trude to death with her fire iron and permanently changes her appearance to a beautiful blonde girl. Despite being of an innocent young age, Rumpelstilzchen doesn’t regret killing Frau Trude but instead feels rather nonchalant about it. Afterwards, Rumpelstilzchen leaves the village forever and begins to go by the name of Rumpelstiltskin.
Years later, Rumpelstiltskin has become a traveler and goes around tricking people for fun. Notably, she tricked an emperor into parading around naked by saying she gave him magnificent robes that appeared invisible to people undeserving of their position. However, whenever her trick was discovered, the emperor sent a witch after her in order to get revenge. Rumpelstiltskin managed to escape the witch’s clutches, but not before being cursed with infertility. Rumpelstiltskin was looking forward to being a mother because she believed that her child would have no choice but to love her and she became more desperate, selfish, and cruel after the curse. This is when Rumpelstiltskin began tricking women into giving her their newborn babies. However, when the babies cried (which she took as a sign of rejection), Rumpelstiltskin would abandon the babies to someone else because she was afraid that they hated her. The only time she never acquired a baby when she meant to was when she attempted to trick the miller’s-daughter-turned-queen. After such a loss, Rumpelstiltskin was convinced that that baby would have accepted her and loved her more than any other mother in the world – though this is obviously denial. She continued on with her tricks until The Cataclysm.
• A N E W C H A P T E R
Though Rumpelstiltskin, or "Ettie", despises this new world she finds herself in, she does admit it has its uses. For instance, she won't have to steal children to have her own. Rumpelstiltskin's ultimate goal is to make someone love her - whether it be a lover, a surrogate family, or a baby of her own.
Despite her new surroundings, Ettie still keeps at her old ways and has plans to trick people at every chance she has - starting with making multiple fake profiles online and "catfishing" as many people as possible. She also has a couple of get-rich quick schemes in the making.
i do hope that is everyone pls yell at me if it isn't
OKAY
SORRY FOR THE HEAVY DELAY IN THE PLOT POST.
It's not much, but it's moving us forward. I apologize for not getting a sheet up for a character that was kind of important in a sense that he'll be used in accordance with Lucy (and likely Aravis), but, um, right now Peter's an NPC that's only under my control. Just as an excuse. A flimsy one. A very flimsy one. ;3; I've just been so busy, I'm sorry about that (and lazy, but that last one is less excusable than "I've been working and schooling all month!" *cough*)
Post in progress! (So sorry for the delay @SailorSadie I didn't forget! :) I am moving this week though, and my new apartment doesn't have wifi (to my knowledge anyway) so I won't be able to put it up until I can find a coffee shop or something that offers internet-y things.
