Shiohigari Mayasume
Meaning: Shiohigari (Gathering of shells at low tide) Mayasume (Dream that comes true)
Birth date: March 20th
Sign: Pisces (cusped with Aries) She has the serenity of Pisces, in her public face, but the passion of Aries governs her private self. Pisces is also a sign of intuition, dreaming, and merging with the flow of the universe, but she still quests for the Golden Fleece of idealism.
Gemstone: Pearl
Height: 5'7"
Blood Type: AB-
Age: 318
Likes:
Pearls - You have this crusty, slimy entity, and you poke and irritate it just enough, in the right spot, and over time something lustrous, precious, and beautiful is formed.
Beauty can be made from within the belly of the beast. She uses pearls to remind herself that her dreams and tirades are not simply in vain.
Being out of the public eye - Behind closed doors, she doesn't need to keep up facades of glamour and perfection. She can have her tirades, express her opinions, admit her feelings. She can also storm to her room and sulk, if she desires.
Coral and Shells - Not only are they decorative, but they ARE reminders of her home, no matter how far she may travel. Much of her jewelry consists in part or in whole of her watery treasures.
Skinny Dipping - When by herself or with close friends, she will simply shed her clothes and slide into the water, prefereably the sea. She loves the feel of the waves unimpeded by cloth, and the symbolic union to her element.
Jellyfish - They're cute and squishy! She finds it fascinating to swim out and watch one, especially the luminous ones. Her mentor has told her how a jellyfish is actually a colony creature, which is to say that it is actually numerous individual creatures living in a special symbiotic harmony, each serving a part in the greater whole. As such, she sees them as mobile philosophy. Coral (the creature) has a similar respect.
Music - Although it is true that there is vurtually no one who doesn't like some form of music, she has a love for the base concept of music, the theory and composition, not just a particular style or performance. She's fascinated by the synergy of notes, the way disparate units of sound and silence can produce something far beyond the sum of its parts
Philosophical "discussions" with her father - Read this as "arguments, often performed at high volume". He generally takes the more conservative view, and she is, of course, the radical, and both spend hours making impassioned cases about the Right and Wrong of various aspects of existence, Iopan and otherwise.
Storms over the sea - The glory, the fury, the panopoply of motion, the sharp, biting smell, the cascading threnody of the drops against sea and shore. these elements make sea-storms one of her favorite natural occurences. She feels alive, energized, inspired, and excited on a myriad of levels. Any thunderstorm will have some of this effect, but only those over sea touch her to the core. If in the castle, she will either make her way to the roof or throw open her window and lean out into the maelstrom.
Takri - Takri is a board game, played on a table-sized board using small metal miniatures that represent different types of troops, both realistic and fantastic. Diffent terrain tiles are available, to customize the board, and each player has a hand in selecting the nature of the battle and the constituency of their armies. Then the war is simulated, using a complex set of rules, as well as carved bone rods to measure effects or randomize in certain circumstances. Since she was able to read and toss the rods, she has been playing the game, and is a Grand Circle Adept, the highest category. She has yet, however, to beat the reigning Grandmaster, one of the ancient warmasters at the Collegium. Ourside of how fun and addictive she finds the game, her father has often replayed for her the exact battle that won him her mother's hand, so it's a family legend.
Synergy - As can be seen in some of her other likes, she is fascinated by situations where something is more than the sum of its parts. This can include music, an elite fighting unit, a recipe, or even a combination of powers. She is aware of the Pandian ability to act as the focus of the Iopan powers, for example, and is actually eagerly awaiting a time when she can be part of that synergy.
Maia - Actually, it's less the country that she adores as the fact that they are less hidebound and mired in tradition, shackled by ancient ways. She has a number of things that were made there, from music boxes to folding lanterns, some of which work and others of which are merely smelly junk. Even the errors, however, show a willingness to try, to express new ideas, that she adores and envies. If she were to wish to be born in any of the kingdoms other than her own, it would be Maia. As princess, she has made her interest in Maia's technology known through Rhodes, to varied effect. The coastal areas tend to be more accepting of it than average, but they are also more accepting of strange ideas in general. The islands tend to still harbor the conventional distrust, only made worse by the generally poor reaction of maian goods to salt water.
Favorite Food: Salt Water Taffy - A guilty pleasure of hers is the sugar/syrup/starch confection, a fact which is known to many of the vendors, who jockey to have their stands between the castle and the beach, for hopes of royal patronage. She's also fond of scones, and any visiting dignitary may expect to have a tray with coffee, tea, milk, and steaming scones set within easy reach.
Dislikes:
Algae - While she had no problem with honest kelp and seaweed, the particular algae that tends to coat the bottom of lakes and other freshwater, still areas causes her to shudder. She can steel herself, but it makes freshwater swimming much less pleasurable than saltwater.
Socks - She finds socks and hose to be inconvenient. They have to be taken off if you want to dip your feet in the water, they catch sand, they get dirty too easily, and they don't look good with sandals. The only use she's ever really had for them is when she was younger and the great hall was just waxed, but her father has strictly forbidden her to slide around, for fear of injury.
The closeted nature of Iopa - How she'd love to be honest, to be open about her feelings, but the nature of Iopa, particularly among the nobility, prevents her from speaking the truth, leaving her feeling not only trapped but a liar. It is with a grim dread that she awaits the marriage that will someday come.
Horses - Rhodes is the source of many of the horse lines that have been bred by other kingdoms, but Maya has no great affection for horses or the art of riding. She has never forgiven them the death of her mother, and as such carries no small hostility for them when she is forced to ride. Because cruelty is, to her mind, wrong, she tends to overcompensate. Careful to not hurt the beast she resents, she does not grip tightly or guide hard. This usually lead to poor performance and often a tumble. After a while, training ceased and she simply decided to take a carriage anywhere that she would otherwise need to ride. She's still tense in a carriage, but at least she's not on the monster's back.
Dreaming - Her nights are filled with strange tidal surgings of dreams and of Dreams. Nightmares about her mothers death have become much less frequent over the years, but still remain, as do any that are spawned by current events and cares of the day. Her sleep is also ridden by her strange Dreams of the tides of culture and philosophy, strange ebbs and neaps that exist only as flashes, fragments, seeds of ideas, occasional phrases. Wondrous and terrible, it is like diving deep into the heart of passion and art, but also drowning there. Often she wakes gasping and tossing about, but usually grabbing for a quill to jot down what fleeting traces remain. (Were this more useful, it would rate as a power, but it is more of a background effect. It does allow the occassional anachronistic quote or phrase, although she'll have no clue of its source.)
Night Terrors - The girl has no end of trouble with her sleep. Usually a few times a week she's prone to a condition referred to as night terrors. Unlike nightmares, these occur in deep delta sleep, which is non-dream related. She will suffer bouts of primal terror, sufficient to make her sit bolt upright in the bed, perhaps mutely scream, drenched in sweat, all the while not truly waking. In this state, she is hard to wake, and were you to do so, she would be incoherent and unable to remember anything. More rarely, she has the somnambulistic bouts that are sometimes associated with the disorder.
"It's the Way it's Always Been Done" - She HATES that phrase. Although she (grudgingly) ackowledges there is some wisdom that comes down from the ages, and that it is, perhaps, better not to make a mistake if others made it before, she refuses to believe that simple tradition implies validity. If she can't see a logical reason to the rule, she will feel that it is flawed, even if it is as ancient as the rocks themselves. As such, she considers many of the ways of the Iopans to be "The ways of our revered anscestors, may we see their wisdom for what it is" (Public) or "Total insanity! Seafoam and Nonsense! Arbitrary rules little better than a beaver's instinct to gnaw its home!" (Private)
Hobbies:
Swimming - She's not even close to the fastest swimmer in her realm, but she is a strong and determined swimmer, quite used to adjusting to sudden shifts in currents. She finds it relaxing and invigorating at the same time. If in private or with close company, she will usually skip the suit.
Dancing - Ballroom dancing was one of the things she loved most about princess training, and she is quite elegant on the floor. Her taste in dancing goes beyond that, however, and she practices the "interpretive dance" popular among some of the more exotic troupes in her kingdom, and has learned many exotic dances as well. She's particularly proud of mastering belly-dancing, in part because it is fun and exciting, and in part because it made her father shake his head and grimace when she showed him. She reminded him that she would, eventually, have to land a husband, and she was sure he'd appreciate it...
Singing - Perfect pitch and an excellent singing voice are two gifts that travel down her maternal line, and she is no exception. While she doesn't have a superhuman range, she does quite well in her alto range. She regularly sings in the Grotto, which is a natural amphitheatre in Rhodes where many of the greats perform, and it is not simply because her title allows her access. Many of the things she sings are poems she has written that she, or more often someone else, has put to music. She's a fairly good poet, but not as good at writing the music as performing it.
Wargames - Since she was young, her father has occupied some of her training time, and some of her fun time, playing tactical wargames, including but not limited to, Takri. Using miniature armies, they have re-enacted some historical battles, evaluating the various commands, possibilities, and what-ifs, as well as simulating some battles that have never existed. Among them are simulated assaults upon the various kingdoms, all in the name of preparing for any possible attack. She finds the tactics, or, as her father calls them, "the tides of war", to be fascinating, and is amazed by how the simplest of mistakes can snowball, and the oddest things can change the course of destiny.
Drumming - Many of the islands of Rhodes have particular styles of drumming, and when she was younger she spent some time trying to learn them. It became tradition for her to take the place of one of the drummers when the royal family was attending an island ceremony, which was considered charming by the people and fun by her. In addition to her public, ceremonial drumming, she uses them in private for therapy as well as music. Sometimes when she is particularly worked up, but catches herself, she'll go to her Drumming Room, where people know not to disturb her, and beat out some riffs. part of her likes the warm,surfy sound, and part of her likes having something it's acceptable to beat on.
Goals:
Outside of the predominant goal of ruling her kingdom and protecting Pandia and Iopa, Maya's primary goal is loosening what she views as the unrealistic, restrictive nature of Iopan society. It is her firm hope that she will be able to sway Pandia, and through her create dynamic change. She'd also like to find some way out of the whole marriage thing, and be permitted to be openly gay, but realizes that has as much chance as a snowball in the sea. Other goals include "finding a bard of her own", collecting her songs and poetry into an elegant bound edition, and claiming the title of Takri Grandmaster.
Friends and Family:
Father - Shiohigari Katsura - The third son of a Rhodesi duke, he was considered quite an oddity on the infertile world of Iopa. Some passed it off as having been conceived when his parents were on a fifth honeymoon, travelling to Paria, but a few of the superstitious staff claimed it was a bad omen, and that he was a devil-child. They were dismissed in quick order, and nothing ever came of their warnings. Instead, quite certain that his distant (by iopan standards) birth would prevent him from ever inheriting anything, he set about as he grew to make the most of himself, and to make his own way in the world. He attended the Collegium, staying there much after others of his generation had left, and invested his attention into a variety of fields. Foremost among his studies were history, politics, the arts of war, but he wrote quite a bit of poetry and dabbled with painting during this time, two of which still adorn the Collegium walls. Two more of his paintings were burned by his teacher, who took him aside and explained that certain subjects, such as the Senshi being portrayed as brave peasant warriors in Tieran's Doomed Charge, would quickly dash his every hope of standing and perhaps lead to exile. Knowing full well that his father would not risk embarrassment, or even discomfort, to save him, he nodded, drew his blade, and slashed the painting before dousing it in thinner and igniting it. From that point on, he was meticulous to not stray from the norm, but he grew all the more aware that the supposed utopia was far from perfect.
Periodically, Katsura would return to Rhodes, and it was during one of these times that he saw Kanshou, the recently inaugurated Sailor Poseidon, and swa two things, opportunity and love. He was genuinely smitten by her, but he would have been a fool to have not acknowledged the benefits of a position beyond being a third son. She had many suitors, of course, and so he became one of many. Still, he did manage to distinguish himself to the point where he was one of a handful that were being considered as possible husbands, despite not having the highest standing.
He was not chosen, however, as an archduke's first son was considered a superior option in every way by the reigning king and queen. Kanshou, however, had been wavering. As he acknowledged his sorrow at not winning her hand, he presented her with a portrait he had drawn, of her au natural. She blushed, and was silent for a moment, keeping it turned from the others present. He stated he was sorry that he would never be granted a chance to correct from experience what he had surmised from imagination. Quietly, she agreed it was a tragedy. That's when the archduke's son stepped over to "claim" his wife-to-be and saw the portrait. Barely a moment passed before he ripped his glove from his hand and struck Katsura, demanding satisfaction.
Katsura smiled, and replied that they would have satisfaction, and war. The audience was aghast, but he pointed to the Takri board that sat, mostly unused, in the parlor. The fortunes favored his rival in the setup, and most expected it to be a short battle. They were correct, but not in the way that they had expected, and it was mostly without gloating that he turned to Kanshou, dropped on one knee, and beseeched her hand, and mostly with a straight face that she stepped forward and accepted.
His marriage was the happiest period of his life. His daughter was born a decade into it, and they took turns in spoiling the baby. His fairly charismatic nature and insightful mind made him an invaluable extension of the Queen, and he would often travel to areas of disputes and settle problems. Many noted that his skills at handling the difficulties of the commoners exceeded his ability to play the games of court. He simply shrugged, let his wife deal with the "important people", while he gained a greater understanding of the common man, as well as honing his understanding of foreign affairs.
That stage of his life ended in tragedy, however. A carriage accident claimed the life of his wife, as well as crippling one of his legs. Since that point, he has taken on full rulership of the kingdom, as well as devoting as much time as he is able to his daughter, then barely in her 90s. In many ways, he's the person who has molded her to the woman she is today. Some that know her behind the facade say that he should have remarried, to give her a woman's touch, but agree that he did the best he could, under the circumstances. Those that only know her public face praise him as an outstanding father.
*SPOILER*
Katsura, in his studies at the Collegium, discovered that he traces his descent from a high noble of Doitra, one of the generals of Seth herself. This fueled his interest in history, war, and the study of the Doitra themselves. He has come to believe that the Doitra might have been in the right, a view he keeps STRICTLY to himself. In many ways, he is responsible for raising Maya to question if tradition is always correct, and to be more liberal and open-minded, all in the guise of taking the conservative edge in their arguments. He honestly feels she, as a Queen and Senshi, may be able to make the world a better place. As a Doitra sympathizer, he is, however, a traitor by definition, and might, should the Doitra return and seem to be working towards a better universe, secretly present them with information.
*End Spoiler*
834, he is a distinguised looking man with peppered black hair and beard. His eyes are grey-green, similar to his daughters, and wreathed by wrinkles, as his face seems more weathered than the average Iopan, but the wrinkles are as much from smiles as from frowns, and he is considered one of the more pleasurable stops in a round of noble visitation. To this day, he walks with a limp due to damage to his right knee, and uses a cane when he walks. He, in fact, owns a room devoted to his canes, as each year it is tradition for Maya to find him a new one for his birthday. Many of the ones he has have either a hidden blade or a hidden flask, and at least one, made in Maia, has a clever dart mechanism, but most are simply beautiful.
Mother (Deceased) - Shiohigari Kanshou - The former Rhodesi Queen and Sailor Poseidon. Her name means Coral Reef, but it could also mean Taking Charge, Sentiment, and Hot Temper, and each were equally true. She was an impassioned leader, diligent in taking care of her people. She worked hard to ensure their health and happiness, cultivating arts as well as crops. Her love for her people was as if they were her children, unable to tend for themselves, and was a duty and a love. Her temper came in if there was any hostility from other countries, and it usually fell to her husband to play diplomat and congenial host. Despite her temper, or perhaps because it was in protection of them, she was a beloved queen until her untimely death, and is still thought of with love.
Her death occured during a carriage ride along one of the many sea-side roads. One of the horses was spooked, and began to bolt, inducing the others to as well. As misfortune would have it, they were at exactly the wrong point of a sharp curve, and that moment of terror tumbled the coach to the rocky shore 30' below. Where her daughter was unharmed, shielded between her and her husband, and her husband suffered only one major wound, she struck her head on one of the stones that pierced the window and died before a healer could arrive.
Kanshou wore her teal hair straight (the result of treatments, since it naturally tried to curl), and to midback. Her face was much like her daughters, but her eyes were a deep green. At 5'8", she was slightly taller, but was likewise willowy.
Appearance:
Eyes: Sea grey-green, like a storm above the ocean. This rather dull color acts as a soft glaze when in public, but gains a spark when she lets her true self out in her private life.
Face: Her face is diamond shaped, which essentially means it's a wide oval on top and a bit more triangular towards the chin ares. Like her mother, she has well-defined cheekbones and a cute, but neither snipped nor tiny, nose. Her lips, likewise, are neither particularly thin nor overly full.
Build: Slender and graceful, she has been favorably compared to the willows which shade the spring palace. She's of barely above average height at 5'7", with a slightly long torso which makes her seem a little taller, proportionatel, when she's seated. Her hips are slender, and her bustline, about a C cup, is noticeably present but not overwhelming.
Hair: At the roots, her hair is a dark teal, but it naturally bleaches as it grows, shading lighter and lighter until it reaches a pale aquamarine/white at the tips. She changes her style periodically, but naturally it tends to fall straight to around her jaw, but begins to curl below that. She rarely lets it get past mid-back. It is almost always adorned with cleverly designed shell clips.
Motion: "The motion of her ocean meets small craft advisories". Just kidding. She moves with an even, graceful gait, the product of years of training. When she's in private, her motions tend to be a little more snipped, especially if she's getting into an argument or having one of her tirades. She has a tendency to talk with her hands, especially her dominant left, but more for purposes of definition than simple emphasis. For example, if she's talking about a scone, she might make a circle with the thumb and forefinger of each hand in roughly its size, but she wouldn't simply wave her hands around emphatically (although she has been known to do "jazz hands" when singing, occasionally).
Voice: A steady alto, her voice is clear and strong, a boon for her singing and a bane for anyone she's having an argument with. In public, she softens it a bit, using a half-whisper.
Clothing: She prefers silk to all other cloths. Coral and jewel tones are her favorites, but silvers and greys are the most flattering for her. Cheongsam are a common dress in her kingdom, and one that she is quite fond of. For formal occassions, she will go for a silk brocade, often a deep blue with silver embroidery.
Personality:
Usual Moods: Most of the time, Maya is in one of the following moods; Indignant, content, aloof, aloofly vapid, petulant, amused, flirtatious, and/or clever. Generally, the "aloof" moods are for her public face, where she is playing at being elegant, but "clever" sometimes slips in there, behind the mask, when she manages a particularly good twist. Sadly, when she's not being elegant, she often devolves to petulant, almost as if she's looking for something to morph it into indignant. If she's genuinely happy at the moment, she's likely to just relax and be happy, however, and if she's with someone she's attracted to, she's likely to try to avoid the petulance for either content or flirtatious, the former if she's relaxed and the latter if she's too worked up to relax.
Character Interaction: In the public eye, she is always on her toes, vigilant and alert, working hard to make it seem as if she is not working at all at being elegant. "Style," she will point out, "is the dedicated art of making the complex seem effortless." It is here that she most excercises her obedience to her oaths of loyalty, using vague language to appear to support traditions she wishes would be expunged. She's seen as beautiful, charming, if a little bit distant, alluring, but not someone you'd ask to champion you in a debate.
Personal Interaction: This is where her true nature comes out. Beneath the placid surface, a sea change occurs. Almost as if a volcano lurks beneath, there is a lot of fire waiting to explode, fire that would love to alter the geography. She is a passionate arguer of philosophy, an idealistic political reformer, a dreamer. She is also, however, loyal to Queen and Country. She wants to change the world, but within her oaths, and within the system. Still, behind closed doors she feels she is allowed to speak her opinions, as upsetting as they may be.
Way of Life: "I live to reform the system, and I would die to maintain it." Central to her nature are her torn loyalties, which she navigates by means of adherence to her oaths. She dreams of an utopia, somewhere between what we would label democracy and communism, where nobility and class distinctions are erased and harmony reigns, but she IS a noble, and has been raised to be aware of her responsibilities, and to be equally aware that simply forsaking her position out of idealism would be counterproductive. She would lose any chance of evoking change, and the scandal would harden minds and hearts to the change. This leads to one of the core elements of her existence, which bothers her terrible; hypocrisy. She enjoys, literally, the benefits of her position, and she cannot say she does it only for the cause. Additionally, she does love Pandia, as she was raised to, and her country. As such, she simply tries to make the best compromise she can, all the while not compromising one jot on anything she's actually promised. All in all, it is a hectic, sleep disturbing, lifestyle.
Senshi Aspect: One thing that greatly affects her nature is her exceptionally long tenure as SailorChibiPoseidon. She came into this responsibility when barely a century old. Whereas the normal childhood ruler has regents who help them carry out their duties, no regent, aide, or assisstant can carry out her senshi duties. Admittedly, when she first became ChibiPoseidon, her duties were relatively few, but in the wake of her mothers death she took them quite seriously. In fact, it was putting on her brave "game face" as a senshi that was a major factor in the development of her public/private dichotomy. As ChibiPoseidon, she was a stoic young senshi, carrying on for Queen and Country. In her room, alone or with just her father, she cried and shrieked as she went through the various stages of death and acceptance. Some of her inner resentment also stems from this early service, as she feels that no child should be pressed into oaths of life duty before they can understand what such a promise means.
Sexuality: While normally it would not need its own section, the nature of Iopa makes this an internal and external dilemma, with attendant molding of her nature. The first exposure she had to sapphic romance was Akahana and her bard. Although young, she was far from unobservant, and her father's teachings left her mind open to additional possibilities in a situation. It didn't take her long to understand that there was more to this situation than was being said. This, of course, made her curious, plus she found the whole thing unbelievably romantic. She would occassionally ask "aunti-hana" how old she would have to be before she could have her very own bard. As she grew, she became aware that Ares and her lover were not unique, that there were others hiding a love that must be self-silent. As she began to reach puberty, and to blossom, part of her actually hoped she would start finding boys attractive, to be spared the need to hide, but she did not. Her earlier resonance to the romanticism of Ares' love was reflective of an intuitive understanding of her own nature. While she has never found "a bard of her own", she does have a few handmaidens who are particularly close and comforting, attending to her needs and desires. Fortunately for her, a couple of them were ones that she had grown up with, children of staff, so she was able to broach the subject by bringing up various children's games, like "playing castle", "playing physiker", etc. to gauge their response and receptivity before broaching the subject. Still, fun as that might be, she wants to find true, romantic love, and to have sonnets written for her.
General Notes: Much of Maya's personality is made up of the various tides of who she is and who she would want to be. She has been a senshi for a very long time, albeit a lesser one, and her implicit duties as such are well engrained. She has been a princess for even long, of course, but her growth there was somewhat flawed. She understands that it is her duty to lead and govern, but she questions not only herself, but any system that judges merit on birth as opposed to capacity. In many ways, this has guided her growth, as she has endeavored to be elegant, intelligent, artistic, and, essentially, everything one could ask or demand from a leader. Albeit subconsciously, she has sought to justify fate or chance in its placement of her as royalty. Of course, her belief in merit over purity of blood means that she really does not see the obligation to breed a new heir, on top of her other reasons, but she is smart enough to be aware what her outright rebellion on this or a dozen other subjects is. She's played out the scenario in her head, and is firmly convinced that careless public admission of her true feelings on most anything would cause a collective apoplexy upon the part of those around her, followed by a firm and self-righteous condemnation of her mental well-being, and either forcible correction or death. She is painfully aware, in part due to occassional circumspect and skirted discussions with her father, that the nobility does have the ultimate recourse on a senshi. Ironclad in their conviction of purity and right, she believes that she could simply be destroyed if her ideals and impurities were exposed, allowing another, less flawed scion of Rhodes.
This leads a few essential flaws in her personality, mainly centered around hypocricy and overcompensation. Not only does she love the perks of being a princess, from the castle and garden to the recognition, and the handmaidens, which she feels she in no way deserves, but she feels terribly deceitful. She knows she should be truthful and open to people, that honesty is the only path to good change. Conversely, she honestly believes that she would be hated, reviled, perhaps tormented if she were truthful, leading her to create a facade that is everything she perceives the world as wanting her to be. As a result, she strives to attain an illusion of perfection, making it harder and harder for her to ever cut through the lies and be herself. With each passing decade of being the Sparkling Mermaid Princess, resistance to her being anything else grows, and those that would declare her flawed and mad become more firmly entrenched with the armament of her past behavior. To combat simply dwelling on this dilemma, she exercises very meticulous care in her public actions, doing her best to give the illusion of statements of support without actual commitment to the ideals she does not support. She works her best to never lie, simply playing a game of subtle and misleading phrasing. As stupid as this might be, it keeps her a bit farther from self-hate and madness. This compensation for her deceit works hand in hand with the facade itself, which is a terrible overcompensation for her "flaws".
All of that aside, she simply cannot, or will not, take the "easy" way out and attempt to change her inner nature. As much as she fears dying on the outside, her dread of losing her self identity, her nature, is even greater. She would rather die a dozen times than give up her self. This conviction could be called stoic or noble, but it could also be called selfishness, and would be by those around her. She is aware that she is expected to be, as she would put it, "a non-person, to be a warrior for the princess, a brood cow for the kingdom, a prow-piece for the land, but never, ever, Shard's forbid, a living, breathing, real person who loves and fears and wants anything for herself." In truth, she IS selfish. She does want to have more than her lot in life allows, she does feel that she is owed at chance at happiness and happiness her way. She feels, deeply, that her ideals and philosophies are superior to millenia of tradition, which makes her arrogant as well, whether she is right or wrong. She's simply not so arrogant as to feel she could win against said traditions.
Special Strengths: Intelligent, (relatively) openminded, artistic, intuitive, and an excellent actress. Additionally, she is a low grade psychic. She's not telepathic or telekinetic, but her dreams are filled with vague awarenesses of the ebb and flow, the tides of history and culture. In general, this serves more to disrupt her sleep and add confusion to her life, but it does grant her an extended perspective on society and culture, which can serve to inspire ideas, poetry, music, and helps keep her from being totally trapped by the paradigm of her situation.
Flaws: Can be narrowminded in her openmindedness, presents a hypocritical facade to the public, is rather argumentative in private, is proud, prone to mood swings, and has her sleep torn asunder by all sorts of parasomnias. She can also be seen as the classic "Child Star Syndrome".
History:
Maya was born perfectly as expected. A quick count confirmed the appropriate number of eyes, ears, fingers, and toes, and she was proclaimed Princess. During her early years, probably the thing that differentiated her most from the standard ideal princess is that she was encouraged to play with daddy's toys, most specifically a specially designed (i.e. hard to swallow) Takri set, and was playing as soon as she was able to grasp the rules.
It was shortly after she started to play the simpler games that her world came crashing down, literally. Near her centennial birthday, she was with her family during a carriage accident. Her mother was killed, her father injured, but she escaped with no physical injury. She did, however, acquire something of a dislike for horses that remains with her to this day.
After that point, her father became her primary caretaker. While she had various nurses and guardians, she never had them for more than a few years, with her father being the only consistent authority and nurture figure in her life. He pushed her to excel at the arts, to understand literature, to, in many ways, follow in his footsteps of generalized liberal arts and military study, to be a "Renaissance Girl". Although he pushed her to explore philosophy, he was careful to build an awareness of the power of the status quo, and to make her realize that there was a line between free thinking and treason, and sometimes it was unclear. This was the source of her decision to adhere to the oaths of princess and senshi as meticulously as she could, to maintain the rights of freedom inside by perfection of duty. As she grew, she naturally adopted the social elegance, the image of the perfect princess. In part, she enjoyed the admiration of the public, and in part she simply knew it had to be done that way.
It was during this time that much of her musical skils were honed. She would sing in the Grotto, and people attended at first because it was seen as charming, the princess singing for her people. Shortly, indulgence gave way to merit, and, while not being a runaway hit, she was considered worthy of the stage. This is also the time that the tradition of her joining in some of the various cultural ceremonies, especially as a ritual drummer, began. The public acceptance only served to make the private studies and growing private petulance more pronounced, and her twin faces began to get farther and farther apart.
While Maya did get personal combat training, she prefered the tactical level studies to the actual melee. Still, it is essential that all senshi can protect Pandia, and, according to her father, can win a duel if it ever comes to where one is needed. Agreeing, and definitely not wanting to require a suitor to save her, she studied the local fencing arts, and the fighting style at its roots. The islands where she learned drumming used a combat style based around twin batons and rhythms, and it was popular among the young nobles to incorporate some of the fancier maneuvers into the local variant style of fencing called, unimaginitevly enough, Rhodesi Style, which utilizes a baton in the off-hand. Considered laughable by most of the other countries, who either see a "stick" as a quaint and inferior alternative to a dagger, or scoff at the use of anything that exposes the full body, it is considered fencing, and thus duel, legal.
Despite her training, she's never actually had cause to get into a formal duel. Her public face is sweet and beloved, and her private face just yells at people or stalks off, and wouldn't want to actually hurt anyone that close to her. Additionally, unlike the brash youth of some kingdoms, no one really saw fit to tease, torment, or mock their princess. Part of her almost wishes someone would have, but she knows that's borrowing trouble.
Her domestic duties were only part of her childhood. In the wake of her mother's death, the powers and duties of Sailor Poseidon passed to Maya. Because of her youth, she was SailorChibiPoseidon. As such, and since her position was Defender of the Land, not Princesses' Inner Court, her duties were often token, and she spent more time at home growing up than at court. Still, she was a senshi as well as a princess, and carried out her duties with the clarion of "For Queen and Country". It was during her time as a Senshi that she became familiar with Akahana, and began to see a different option for romance, one that resonated in her heart. As she grew and developed, she became more certain, with an amalgam of joy and dread, that she too was "odd".
As she reached her tri-centennial, the final preparations for her ascent to full Senshidom began. Her studies intensified, and she found herself with even less free time than before. Some relief from this new stress came, however, with the arrival of Saiyuri, her Siren guardian. Maya was struck, immediately, by the unspeakable CUTENESS of a chibi, winged, mermaid. In fact, Saiyuri's arrival stopped her mid-tirade. It didn't take long for her normal moods to reassert themselves, but by that time her siren had become comfortable, taking up residence in a very nice aquarium in her room. It soon became apparent that Saiyuri had no real intention of doing any serious work, preferring to gossip, sing, play games, and tease local cats by dangling just out of reach. Still, by bringing smiles to Maya's face, she did more than if she had shouldered half her studies.
When she reached the minimum age for non-chibi senshidom at 310, she was quickly ordained and began to take up her full duties. By this point, Saiyuri had matured... a little. She had, for example, learned which cats to avoid teasing because they jumped a little better than she might have guessed. She also had learned Takri to the point where she was of some assistance. She didn't have the focus to actually wage a challenge, but her whimsical method of attacking gave Maya some practice against the illogical as well as the thoughtful. She had, however, picked up an annoying love for stupid jokes, including knockknock jokes, as well as a taste for b-grade theatre comedies. Needless to say, she is not always present at Maya's side when she works on serious projects or diplomacy.
Current situation:
Katsura is still king of Rhodes, at least until she reaches majority at 320, but she has been phased into handling much of the decision making. She's finding it a little difficult to balance her rulership, her senshi duties, her socio-political desires, and her "free" time, and wishes she could just delegate more authority and take a vacation.
Kingdom of Rhodes:
Technically, Rhodes occupies certain select shores around the Great Sea, as well as all of the random islands and archipelagoes within the sea, and the water itself. Castles are kept at the eastern (Spring) and western (Autumn) shores, as well as on a northern (Summer) and southern (Winter) island. Despite the names, the Spring Castle tends to be the seat of power, and the others are used more for vacations than any actual cycle of political presence. Weather, as can be expected over a large area, is rather varied, but tends towards oceanic damp, with strong winds, especially along some ocean trade routes. Once upon a time, Rhodes was the source of much of the good horsebreeding stock, but that was millenia ago, and nowadays they tend to import those that have been refined elsewhere for the few shore-based areas and their draft or cavalry needs. Owing to the large number of islands, Rhodes produces an astounding variety of produce, especially fish, fruits and spices. Ironically, though, gourmet "Rhodesi cooking" bears relatively little resemblance to the stews that are common fodder on the islands, instead usually being combinations of fish found in one region, fruit in another, and spices from a third, producing a delicious melange that would never actually occur in the conditions of the common citizen.
Beyond its food trades, its major industries are cultural, specifically Arts and tourism. The Grotto, despite being a natural amphitheatre, is considered to be perhaps the finest auditorium on Iopa, and commands a position as the premier place for performances of song or theatre. Beyond the Grotto, some cities seem like every alley has a stage with performers playing out some theatre or another, and cords across the ends to keep back those who don't pay for a closer view. The various performances, as well as the tropical islands, encourage people with a little time and money to pay a visit, and one chain of islands, the Naiad Islands, is considered one of the top three places for a perfect honeymoon.
There are a few dark sides to the kingdom, of course. While piracy attempts are quickly stamped out, there continue to be people who think they can take the goods of others and get away with it. Additionally, a few of the island spices have medicinal uses in controlled doses, but are used by some people, illegally, as a recreational tool, and there is a black market for such things, despite laws requiring that all such materials go through the Healer's Guild. Finally, gambling is a common vice, both among natives and tourists, and a number of establishments cater to this fancy with rooms for games of chance and skill. This isn't as much a dark side as it once was, since about 1800 years ago the crown simply engaged in a hostile, non-monetary buyout of what was becoming a crime syndicate, and technically all Gamehouses belong to the Queen. There's still the occasional problem with a licensed owner who starts to feel tough and powerful, or with those who try to avoid licensing, but both are usually quashed in short order, and the populace is as happy to have some of the house's share going to maintaining the kingdom as simply lining someone's pockets. In fact, it is a common joke that losing in a Gamehouse is a patriotic duty.
