~ Lyra Aliana Castillo ~
The Freedom Seeker
'I think she's caught between who she is and who she wants to be...'
ROLE
Human from the Night Court
NAME
Lyra Aliana Castillo
Lyra
This name literally means 'of the lyre', but this wasn't quite why Lyra's parents decided to name her this. As servants, they found great beauty and promise in the stars, and so they decided to name their only daughter after the constellation of Lyra. It was chosen by her mother, and her father agreed that it was perfect for their little girl.
Aliana
It means 'bright/brilliant', but this was actually the name of Lyra's Grandmother on her father's side. She never actually met her Grandmother, but the tales she has heard imply that she was quite a women. She defied the fae and did scandalous things and was brave. Very brave. Until she got killed for it. Lyra wants to be brave as well. She just doesn't want to die to achieve it.
Castillo
It means 'castle', and Lyra isn't certain of its origins, but knows that it is an old family name. She's lucky to have an ancestry, a surname to connect her to those before her. Many slaves didn't have a surname, sometimes barely a name at all. She supposed that makes her lucky, in a way, even if she doesn't feel that way.
NICKNAMES
Ly
This is just the shortened version of her already quite short name, and is what many people call her. Well, those who don't call her 'girl' or 'slave' of course.
Freckles or Sparky
Her mother used to call her these as a child because of her extremely freckled face and slightly fiery personality. Her father preferred to call her by her name, but both parents, no matter what they called her, loved her dearly and in all the ways a parent should. Unconditional support whenever she needed it.
AGE
21
Her birthday falls upon the 20th of December
GENDER
Female
COURT
Autumn
SPECIES
Human
SEXUALITY
Bisexual
APPEARANCE
Luca Hollestelle
PERSONALITY
Where to start with Lyra Castillo? It's probably fitting to begin with how she acts in front of the fae, because a majority of her time is spent this way. The first thing to note is the atmosphere of the night court. Despite its gorgeous appearance and dream like aesthetic, it is not place of peace, not by any means. It is a place of secrets and cruelty. Watching your back is essential for survival, and putting a foot wrong is a recipe for disaster. It was here at the Night court that Lyra learnt how to hold her tongue. To her 'superiors', she is the picture of subservience. She is obedient, practical, everything a good slave should be. She'll mend dresses and scrub floors and bite her tongue when fae cast her aside. In fact, even things that would've angered her to the point of shouting in the past no longer spark her fuse. Instead, she dampens herself. She's a shadow and a shell of a person around the fae. Well, mostly. Sometimes she may show them the wry, playful humour that lurks beneath her skin, but it's rare. All fae are the same in her opinion. She can't risk getting killed because she trusts the wrong person.
However, another thing about Lyra is the way she is around her fellow slaves. These people are her family, the people she clings to when things get too scary, and it's obvious. Whilst around fae she's barely responsive, it's quite a different study with other slaves. She's animated and enthusiastic, bestowing her humour and laugh on all those around her. The traits she has to suppress to survive, like her passion and feistiness, get to be released. She likes to let her mind open and all her dreams spill out. And hey, she doesn't mind messing around a little with the right people. A hook up here, a make out session there, as long as it doesn't go any further than that she's fine. You see, Lyra is the type to fall in love one evening and fall out of it the next morning. No matter how close you get, she's always ready to back away. But her emotions are always genuine. Genuine and loud. They spill out of her like bright light, and she isn't afraid to collapse with laughter among her friends. Yet, there is a reverse side to this. Because her friends and fellow slaves are her outlet to express her emotions, she can also be angry, volatile. The pent up frustration and rage sometimes comes out, and she loses her temper rather quickly. She knows it isn't fair on her friends to be subjected to her bout of rage, but she doesn't have any other way to express them. She's a human stuck in a cage. It's only right that she gets to be angry at times.
And believe me, she's angry. So, so angry. No matter how hard she tries to forget her life before Prytan, no matter how hard she tries to accept her predicament, she just... can't. She can't. When she feels herself slipping away into he darkness, the place she's seen too many slaves disappear to, she has to have something to hold onto. She doesn't want to end up like the older slaves, eyes blank and movements dreamy. She hates the thought of losing herself. It terrifies her. So, when she feels herself slipping, she likes to plan her escape. That is a promise she has made herself. There may not be a place where fae don't roam, but if there is any chance of finding a life away from the fae, free, she's going to take it. She had a family, a life that was bearable and almost fun, and in one night that was taken away. She knows she's gonna get that back at any cost. And she also knows that one days she will break the chains holding her and finally gain her freedom. It is what keeps her sane, so she has to believe it.
BACKGROUND*
Part I
~The Good Days~
Being a slave in the Autumn court isn't great. The fae are cruel and the punishments harsh, but when Lyra was born, her mother and father vowed that even in a world of pain and hardship, even in a court of blood and lies, she was going to grow up happy. And happy she was. Among fallen leaves and freshly turned earth, Lyra ran relatively free. Her childhood consisted of exploration and developing her sense of self. She learnt how to laugh freely, how to cry without fear of reprimand, how to shout when she was mad until her face turned red. She climbed and jumped and laughed, virtually entirely protected from the ruthlessness of the fae. Her parents were very good at keeping her out of harms way, even when it hurt themselves. Of course, Lyra still had to work and serve the fae, but she rarely came into contact with them, and when she did, her parents were very good at keeping her reigned in. This was because, as a kid, Lyra had a tendency to be outspoken, rude, to the point where she put herself in danger without even realising. That was the problem with her idyllic childhood, her crisp autumn days spent out in the woods: she was too protected. She didn't know how to keep herself safe because her parents never wanted to take the chance of being in contact with that fae, they wanted to keep her safe. That would be their downfall.
Part II
~The Downfall~
They say 'All good things must come to an end', and unfortunately, the poets were right. When Lyra reached her 12th birthday, things began to change. The family they had been serving, who were relatively relaxed which is what allowed Lyra her time in the sun, decided they didn't need the Castillo's anymore. Too many mouths to feed, especially when one of them was a child who barely contributed to the household. And so the whole family unit was sold, shipped off to the Night court. If the Autumn court was harsh, Night was like a kick in the stomach. Suddenly, long days in the sun turned into back breaking work in the kitchens. Light reprimands turned into beatings, and by the time Lyra was 13, she was angry. Really fucking angry. So, one day, when a fae stopped her and started cornering her, ready for a fight, she fought back. Like a Damn cracking, all her frustration poured out and despite losing the fight (obviously) she made enough of a mess that the fae was fuming. But, unfortunately for her, she hadn't messed with a rash fae. Maybe it would've been better if she had. Maybe then, the fae would've just killed her and been done with it. But no. This fae wanted revenge, compensation for the humiliation he had endured, and to him, that meant stripping her of everything she had. Both her parents were beaten to death in front of her, followed by a beating herself. But no bruise, no broken bone or fracture, could ever match the devastation that she felt knowing her parents were dead. And it was all her fault.
Part III
~The Survival~
After that, Lyra became... less. Hollow. All the rage and seething anger had been stripped out of her, and all that was left was a shell. A shell that did laundry and cleaned dishes and swept floors and ran baths and took every step on autopilot. The lights were on but no one was really home. She bounced around a few times after that. Different households, different fae, same life. That was, until, she was transferred to the palace of the high ruler at 17. It was there she started to find herself again, piece by piece. She started to come back to life again. It wasn't because things were easier, or because something drastic had happened. It was because she found an empty book and a pencil. And she started to write. Every idea that came to mind was written down, either in the limited words she knew or in drawings. A plan. An escape. A life of freedom. And perhaps just a little revenge. It was impossible. It could never happen because the fae were just too deeply in control of their world, but she needed to believe. To dream that there could be something more. And so Lyra Castillo was finally reborn. Angry, broken, but alive. And ready to cause some fucking trouble.
SKILLS
•Knows when to keep her mouth shut
•Smarter than she lets on
•Charisma 1000% when she wants to
•Angry bean
•Need someone to spy? She's your gal
•Curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back
AESTHETIC
QUOTES
'Well, well, well, if it isn't the
consequences of my own actions'
'You were wild once. Don't let them
tame you.'
'She was fire, and light, and ash,
and embers'
'I don't know where I'm going from
here, but I promise it won't be boring'
OTHER
—> Theme Song : Problems by Mother Mother