Petals Adrift in the Spring Breeze.
name - 梅 , ume
alias(es) - n / a
age / dob - 800+ , 02.02
identity - agender , they them
orientation - queer
affiliation - ruize , the xianzhou alliance
path / element - nihility , imaginary
img desc. ume official design
Persona.
perhaps a result of accepting their inevitable future, ume is, though not unkindly or coldly, very apathetic. this is especially notable in regards to their own state of being, of which would and has brought concern to others before, and yet they do not seem to care at all. their own health and mortality is something they are very blase about, having long since accepted that their life will end sooner than it should. Despite this apathetic state, they are quite kind, and sometimes a bit melancholic. Though they don't appear to have many passions, they can be a very passionate person, with a tendency to fixate on things or people in which ume is able to find some sort of "meaning" or "purpose" in existing for or continuing to exist to experience.
they are a naturally helpful person, and when asked to do things they usually will, given that the strain on their weak body is not too much - though, for those who they care the most about, they would be willing to do anything.
etymology - ume is a name taken from the japanese 梅 (ume) meaning japanese apricot or plum, of which the blossoms of are tied heavily into their design.
headcanons
- their hands are surprisingly steady. many of their preferred hobbies include taking advantage of this steadiness, such as sewing and embroidery. they are also quite knowledgable about medicine...
- they are prone to sickness and chronic pain, their baseline is that of always being at least in some mild pain. most commonly, aches in joints or headaches are prominent, as well as running warmer than they should (often exhibiting symptoms of mild fever at minimum). It has been such a constant that they have long grown used to and even ignores it as just another daily occurrence. their pain tolerance threshold is very high.
- despite their appearance and fox-like traits, they aren't foxian! they're more inspired by kitsune than anything else.
Backstory.
CURRENTLY UNFINISHED .
born to a species known for long life and great spiritual power, ume was, of course, expected to posess both of these things.
unfortunately, this failed to be the case.
what manifested into their life at a young age- much younger than usual- was a disease that would only cause pain and an early death. a sickness caused by an overabundance of spiritual power so large that there was nothing that could be done to reverse it or lessen the burden on the body, to the point it would cause the bodies of those afflicted to deteriorate, living lives that are painful and woefully short in comparison to the very extensive lifespans of their healthy family members. though it would most often not be made aware of until those born with the illness were at least nearing the age of their second tail (over a hundred years at least), ume was a quite particular case, struck by the symptoms quite early on in life, and being a very sickly child and young adult because of it. with no cure, ume quickly became accustomed to the fact that their life was destined to be impossibly short, and grew apathetic towards their own continued existence, living each day as if they were simply waiting to drop dead.
some one-or-two hundred years later, they would happen upon a doctor who had gone mad with grief and be used as an object of study, an experiment into lengthening the life of someone destined to live a very short life. in another universe, ume would remain by his side, forming an unhealthy obsession, allowing him to experiment as he wished until he died. in this universe, this doctor casts them aside shortly after their chance encounter, with no regard to their state of being. here, abandoned, ume is found by another doctor, a qilin, who introduces himself as ruize, and takes them with him to nurse them back to a state of relative health. they grow attached to the qilin, staying with him even after recovering from the wounds inflicted upon them during that past experimentation, becoming a companion and occasional helping hand to his work. in return, ruize is able to find a way to prolong their life by many years.
over six hundred years has passed since then, and this simple companionship has turned into a budding romance, and then marriage. though they still consider themself marked for a death that will come inevitably, if only made late by the generosity of one kind man, and hold little care towards their own wellbeing, they have discovered passions in life they would have not lived to find enjoyment in otherwise, and the trickster spirit found in the heart of every member of their species has not burned out quite yet. ume is able to continue enjoying their life for a few years longer... at least.
Gallery.
img 1. ume beta design