[b]50. THEOPHANIA ZHANG[/b]

(Originally in The Realms (Discord))

[hider=☽ 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐀 𝐙𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐆]
 
[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/200105/ef9c63e1ef766b6ffc241958ad0c4714.png[/img][/center]
[hr][hr]
[center][img]https://i.pinimg.com/474x/5f/c1/f6/5fc1f6bef2152258f268b456d3b8721d.jpg[/img][/center]
[center][color=919191]❝ [color=silver][i]Many a gentleman had likened his first meeting with her to downing a very strong cognac when one was 
expecting to imbibe fruit juice—that is to say, startling and apt to leave one with a distinct burning sensation.[/i][/color] ❞[/color][/center] [hr][hr]
[img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/191021/5c18e31d433f9412a4a75101dc2bd70d.png[/img]

[indent][color=919191][b]☽ 𝓝𝓪𝓶𝓮:[/b] 
[/color] [INDENT]Theophania Zhang. Close friends, and close friends [i]only[/i], refer to her as "Nia".[/INDENT] 
[color=919191][b]☽ 𝓡𝓪𝓬𝓮:[/b] 
[/color] [INDENT]Just a plain ol' human[/INDENT]
[color=919191][b]☽ 𝓡𝓮𝓵𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝓽𝓸 𝓗𝓸𝓾𝓼𝓮:[/b] 
[/color] [INDENT]Married into a minor house sworn to House Cysele, but ran off with her husband's money to become one of the Unsworn after he died, claiming that it was his "dying wish" to leave it all to her.[/INDENT]
[color=919191][b]☽ 𝓐𝓰𝓮:[/b] 
[/color] [INDENT]30[/INDENT] 
[color=919191][b]☽ 𝓖𝓮𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻:[/b] 
[/color] [INDENT]Female[/INDENT] 
[color=919191][b]☽ 𝓢𝓮𝔁𝓾𝓪𝓵𝓲𝓽𝔂:[/b] 
[/color] [INDENT]Bisexual[/INDENT][/indent]
[hr][hr]
   [img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/191021/b1a0454b80ae26ba7cf9d90c3b6e8c39.png[/img]
[indent][color=919191][b]☽ 𝓐𝓹𝓹𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮:[/b] 
[/color] [INDENT]Theophania loves pretty, delicate things, even if her personality is not what one would ordinarily describe as "delicate". And her frilly wardrobe, paired with her porcelain-pale complexion and inky black locks, means that most people tend to think Theophania's nothing more than another giggly daughter of some lord or the other - until she opens her mouth, that is. Make no mistake about it: Theophania loves her flowers and frills, but she's also not afraid to be very loud and generally "un-ladylike", if she thinks the occasion calls for it.

Though Theophania is considered classically beautiful, with chocolate brown eyes and a slender figure that does well with narrower silhouettes, not all of it comes naturally. Her eyes are framed with a set of eyelashes that she always makes longer using cosmetics, and her lips, which are naturally rather pale and thin, are usually painted with some sort of lip tint. Her flawless skin is largely due to a mixture of charms, enchantments, and magical potions that she brews herself, and once she reached twelve years of age, she started using a mixture of concoctions to brighten and lighten her skin, because 1) she's vain, and 2) her mother wanted her to adhere more closely to accepted beauty standards, in the interest of attracting potential suitors. And it [i]always[/i] helps to have magic on hand whenever she wants to try out a new hair style - or to make her hair longer, shorter, curlier, etc, whenever she feels like it.

Theophania may be pretty and proper and polite (well, she's polite when she [i]feels[/i] like it), but she's not [i]spineless[/i]. She walks with her head held high, her steps brisk and purposeful, and although she's not particularly tall - about five feet and five inches - her clipped voice is enough to get the entire room to pay attention to her. One of her friends once described Theophania as someone who "looks like a doll, but has the mannerisms of your strictest, least-favorite governess", and, well...most people are not inclined to disagree.[/INDENT] 
[color=919191][b]☽ 𝓢𝓽𝓻𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓽𝓱𝓼 + 𝓦𝓮𝓪𝓴𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓮𝓼:[/b] 
[/color] [INDENT]𝓢𝓽𝓻𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓽𝓱𝓼: Could probably sew an entire tapestry in her sleep and has the neatest, tiniest little stitches (they're nigh-on invisible, when she's [i]really[/i] concentrating); very good at intricate embroidery and lacework (and just, all forms of needlework in general); picks up on small, specific details; meticulous and thorough in everything that she does; exceedingly patient, when she knows she has to be; determined; observant and analytical; shrewd; is very good at cosmetic magic, if she says so herself; also quite good with charms, enchantments, and glamours

𝓦𝓮𝓪𝓴𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓮𝓼: Has no combat ability to speak of besides whacking people with candlesticks or whatever (she thinks that it's rather uncouth, anyway); doesn't really care for accepted etiquette when she doesn't want to care about it, even though she's well-aware of what she's supposed to say and do; does not have a single musical bone in her body; not really the first person you'd want to go to for advice; stubborn and unyielding once she's made up her mind; blunt; does not have the patience to mince her words; petty; holds a grudge until the end of time; likes to meddle; an incorrigible gossip; has never been [i]passive[/i] aggressive in her life - Theophania is [i]aggressive[/i] aggressive, thank you very much; bossy; hellaciously vain[/INDENT] [/indent]
[hr][hr]
[img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/191021/42e0b90d6ee2d711682fecce25c4a384.png[/img]
[indent][color=919191][b]☽ 𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓸𝓷𝓪𝓵𝓲𝓽𝔂:[/b] 
[/color] [INDENT]Don't let her silk gloves and frilly gowns fool you - Theophania is practical and pragmatic and gets things [i]done[/i]. She values efficiency and a good work ethic, and she is not afraid to speak up in order to get her point across. A veritable battle-axe of a woman, Theophania [i]will[/i] get what she wants, even if she has to constantly harangue an unfortunate soul to do so. Theophania never takes no for an answer; she is [i]the[/i] indomitable Theophania Zhang, and she [i]will[/i] do what she came here to do, albeit in the most polite way possible.

Ever the realist, Theophania has no patience for people with dreamy delusions of what life actually is. Still, though, she wouldn't say she believes that people are inherently evil, and she does, after all, have morals. She is a stickler for proper manners and etiquette, and will be [i]very[/i] offended should somebody behave in an impolite way towards her...and really, Theophania tries her best to be as polite as possible, but sometimes it just doesn't work, you know?

Blunt and straightforward, Theophania says what she wants, when she wants to. Of course, the [i]wording[/i] may be perfectly proper for an outing with the royal court, but the underlying meaning would be perfectly clear. She doesn't have time to deal with anybody's nonsense, and she has the unfortunate habit of interfering in [i]everyone's[/i] business; she's quite the meddler. Theophania considers herself to be a rather prosaic person; she has not one bit of creativity in her, which has never bothered her in the slightest. Instead, she tries to look at things objectively and analyze all the possible courses of action. Theophania can be surprisingly perceptive, despite her lack of subtlety, and quite observant-she'll [i]always[/i] notice when somebody is wearing last season's fashions, for example.
[/INDENT] [/indent]
[indent][color=919191][b]☽ 𝓑𝓲𝓸𝓰𝓻𝓪𝓹𝓱𝔂:[/b]
[/color] [INDENT]Theophania was born to a merchant family that had made itself very wealthy in the last two generations, and although she was not nobility herself, her family raised her as if she were. As such, she was afforded all the comforts of being treated like a highborn lady. Her parents gave her pretty frocks and sparkly jewelry, and under the tutelage of several governesses, Theophania learned everything that a highborn lady should learn - manners and etiquette, sewing and embroidery (although it can be hard to believe, Theophania has the neatest, tiniest little stitches, and is quite talented with all forms of needlework), dancing and painting, the latter of which she failed miserably at - there is not a creative bone in her body. She was also able to learn much about how her mother and father ran their business, and was given the freedom to explore the extensive library in their home.

Although Theophania's governesses bemoaned her lack of tact, in general, Theophania's parents didn't really see anything wrong with their daughter, you know, having a personality. [i]Theophania[/i] certainly didn't see a problem; she was always aware of all the rules she was breaking, thank you very much. She will admit that niceties and formalities have their place (and she herself relies on a breezy, brisk sort of politeness when she needs to), but other than that, she just does what she thinks is most appropriate for the specific situation.

There has always been a bit of magic within her bloodline, and although Theophania's no powerful mage or wizard, she [i]did[/i] receive a rather thorough education regarding  charms, enchantments, and glamours. Theophania has dedicated most of her magical pursuits towards cosmetics - charms and potions for clear skin, glamours to make her lips look fuller than they actually are, et cetera. Most of her magic tutors have declared Theophania "hopelessly frivolous", but Theophania is actually quite good with cooking up some magical concoction or other. Cosmetic potions are precise work, after all, and Theophania would rather die than accidentally fuck up an enchantment that was going towards her outer appearance.

Theophania's family, not being of the nobility themselves and foreigners besides, were usually more concerned with sealing trade deals and running a prosperous business than, you know, trying to win themselves the favor of this local lord or the other. As such, by the time Theophania's parents began taking marriage prospects for their only child seriously, Theophania had already been given enough time and freedom to develop her own opinions on it all. 

Theophania figured: if her parents wanted to set her up with someone, it would probably be for 1) an advantageous trade deal, 2) to increase their own social standing, or 3) both. In the case that it was the first or third option, she would actually wield considerable power over whoever her husband was, because if she decided that he was a piece of shit and fucked off and went back home? Her parents didn't [i]need[/i] some other lord's money to do well; they'd already done pretty damn well for themselves on their own. So Theophania wasn't actually all that bothered when her mother started dressing her up to go see potential suitors; in fact, being as vain as she is, Theophania quite enjoyed all the new gowns and jewelry she received.

When Theophania was twenty, her father fell ill for an entire year, meaning that her mother needed Theophania's help with running the family shipping business. At first, many of her family's business associates took one look at her silk handkerchiefs and frilly gowns and dismissed her as a giggling idiot, but Theophania's true colors soon showed their full force. Confident and assertive after watching her parents run the business for her entire life, Theophania would take everyone's advice into consideration, no matter who they were or what they did, but once she made up her mind, that was [i]it[/i]. Stubborn and unyielding, Theophania simply did not take 'no' for an answer - she's willing to compromise and negotiate and re-consider if she has to, but after she's finalized the decision, Theophania does not waver. This led to her haranguing many the unfortunate soul during her brief stint as her mother's second-in-command, and she quickly earned the respect of her parents' associates for her clever insights (even if they still thought she was much too obsessed with pretty gowns).

As her mother's second-in-command, Theophania's reputation was mostly that she was "brusque and insufferable" when she wanted to be, but she was otherwise polite, and could be surprisingly considerate. Theophania has always tried to look at things objectively and see every single perspective, and also proved herself to be quite observant - something that surprised everyone besides Theophania and her mother, because you do [i]not[/i] get that good at needlework without being able to pay meticulous attention to the specific details. However, her blunt, straightforward, and no-nonsense nature meant that most of her potential suitors decided to stay far, far away...that is, until her parents decided that she would marry the lord of a minor house sworn to House Cysele.

Theophania's husband-to-be was plenty rich - as rich as the Zhangs themselves - and the primary reason for their marriage was sealing a mutually beneficial trade deal. Theophania was pretty indifferent to it all, after her parents assured her that they could come visit them in the city whenever she wanted to. The wedding was a grand affair, and Theophania thought she looked splendid in her gown, but otherwise, her marriage was just [i]boring[/i]. Theophania's pretty sure that her husband preferred men to women when it came to romance, because he didn't touch her once during their time together. Which was perfectly fine with Theophania.

The one thing Theophania thinks that she got out of the marriage (besides the money) was the friendship of her husband's second cousin's widow. The other woman was actually twice Theophania's age, but had been turned into a vampire long before Theophania even met her husband. The two of them quickly struck it off - Theophania liked Melina's quick wit and acerbic sense of humor, and they shared a love for pretty, delicate things that had no use besides as decorative ornaments. 

Theophania's husband was old and sickly, and died a year after the wedding. The lord had no surviving family to speak of, besides sisters and daughters and cousins who'd married into other houses, so Theophania and Melina took his considerable fortune (including Theophania's dowry), sold all of her dead husband's land to a neighboring lord (who was also sworn to House Cysele), and left. Theophania officially renounced any "allegiance" she had to House Cysele, because fuck that shit, she doesn't owe anyone anything, and besides, she'd kept her maiden name as her last name, as was the custom for women from the area of the world her family was originally from.

Theophania and Melina decided to settle down on the outskirts of Bellevennet, where they bought a big fancy manor and re-furnished it, creating a luxurious guest house for creatures of the night, relying on both Theophania's management expertise and Melina's knowledge about others who were like her. It was a [i]strange[/i] business venture, to say the least, because Theophania had no idea what she was to do for afternoon tea when all the guests would have slept straight through it, but Melina had convinced her that there was a demand.

And Melina, being a literal vampire, was right. Neither Theophania nor Melina ever officially gave their guest house a name, but the local nickname is the "Guest House of the Moon". They've attracted a wide variety of species - vampires, werewolves, demons, et cetera, even the occasional ghost - and thanks to the presence of Melina and her friends, any brawls (how utterly [i]uncouth[/i]!) are over before they even begin.

Theophania's been at it for several years now, and she has no plans to stop. After being around Melina so much, she's pretty indifferent to the spookier kinds of species, so long as they're polite and aren't constantly fucking up her furniture.
[/INDENT][/indent]
[hr][hr]
   [img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/191021/2b609373872d795bebc3d0609b529f91.png[/img]

[indent][color=919191][b]☽ 𝓝𝓸𝓽𝓪𝓫𝓵𝓮 𝓡𝓾𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓼:[/b] 
[/color] [INDENT]That she killed her husband for his money. That she can create charms that make vampires immune to the sun. That she's secretly sleeping with one of the guest house's regulars.[/INDENT] 
[color=919191][b]☽ 𝓟𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽:[/b] 
[/color] [INDENT][url=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp0lwk7U8mwKwSc8EZYchCcm36sB_NYpy]I'm a Motherfucking Woman[/url]
[sub][i]Woman — Kesha
Psycho — Red Velvet
See the Stars — Red Velvet
Devil, Devil — MILCK
Seven Rings — Ariana Grande
Bad Boy — Red Velvet
Puss — Jimin of AOA ft. Iron
DDU-DU DDU-DU — Blackpink
Boombayah — Blackpink
[/i][/sub][/INDENT] 
[color=919191][b]☽ 𝓕𝓒 + 𝓒𝓸𝓵𝓸𝓻 𝓒𝓸𝓭𝓮:[/b] 
[/color] [INDENT]Face claim = Ziwei Cao, color code = 919191, Fontmeme = 919191[/indent]
[color=919191][b]☽ 𝓞𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻:[/b] 
[/color] [INDENT][url=https://www.pinterest.com/ayzrules/as-covert-as-a-sledgehammer-tr/]Pinterest[/url] || [url=https://ayzrules.tumblr.com/post/190085748671/theophania-zhangs-frilly-pink-aesthetic]Moodboard[/url][/indent][/indent]
 
[/hider]
[hider=☽ 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒]
[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/200105/ef9c63e1ef766b6ffc241958ad0c4714.png[/img]

[hr][hr]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/elFFrAA.jpg[/img]

[color=919191]❝ [i][color=silver]Bought matching diamonds for six of my bitches.[/color] [/i]❞[/color]

[hr][hr][/center]
[color=919191][b]☽[/b] 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑[/color]
[color=919191][b]⇒ [/b][/color][i]"Ohhhhhhhh, Schroedinger is so cute! I love him so much!"[/i]

[color=919191][b]⇒ [/b]𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒆𝒅 𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈[/color]
When Schroedinger first showed up at her guest house, Theophania thought he was the [i]cutest[/i] thing ever and immediately started spoiling him. When she found out he could talk, she was surprised for a second, but quickly got over it and went about things like normal. She's seen stranger things than a talking cat.

[hr][hr]
[color=919191][b]☽[/b] 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐄 𝐂𝐘𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐄-𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐄[/color]
[color=919191][b]⇒ [/b][/color][i]"Sera's so sweet! And such a talented performer; I don't know how she does it, because I don't have a musical bone in my body. But dear gods, that girl doesn't know how to dress herself. Thank the stars that she has me to help her."[/i]

[color=919191][b]⇒ [/b]𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒆𝒅 𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈[/color]
Sera and Theophania both grew up in Bellevennet, and Theophania met Sera at one of her performances. The two of them became acquaintances/sort-of friends over the years. Theophania thinks that her fashion taste is [i]hopeless[/i], and does the best that she can to help her - to varying degrees of success. Theophania left the city shortly before Sera left, and by the time she returned to set up her guest house, Sera was already gone.

[hr][hr]
[color=919191][b]☽[/b] 𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐋[/color]
[color=919191][b]⇒ [/b][/color][i]"Oh, 'the Witch', right? The one with the ravens? I don't know much about her, but she always gets me the best gossip from inside the city. I wonder if the ravens actually bring the sweets I leave back to her, or if they just eat it themselves?"[/i]

[color=919191][b]⇒ [/b]𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒆𝒅 𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈[/color]
Avigail gives Theophania all the tea on the going-ons in town - mostly just petty gossip, because Theophania does not give a single fuck about politics. In return, Theophania pays whatever price she's asking, and will usually leave some kind of sweet treat with the payment as well. She has no idea if the pastries ever get back to Avigail, or if the ravens just eat the sweets themselves.

[hr][hr]
[color=919191][b]☽[/b] 𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐀 𝐌𝐘𝐑𝐀𝐁𝐄𝐋 (𝐍𝐏𝐂)[/color]
[color=919191][b]⇒ [/b][/color][i]"Mel is the most excellent person I have ever met. She and I agree on everything that matters - gowns, decor, and pastries. Who cares if she's a vampire, and twice my age? She's absolutely wonderful."[/i]

[color=919191][b]⇒ [/b]𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒆𝒅 𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈[/color]
Theophania met Melina while she was married; Melina is technically her second cousin, but only because both of them married into the same minor house. Regardless, Theophania and Melina fucked off to Bellevennet after Theophania's husband died, taking all of the wealth he left with them. Melina had all the connections she and Theophania needed to set up their guest house, and they most definitely have been macking on each other since, like, three days after they met.

[color=919191][b]⇒ [/b]𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒐 & 𝒓𝒖𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒔[/color]
[color=919191][color=silver]𝒻𝒾𝒻𝓉𝓎-𝓈𝒾𝓍[/color] ✧ [color=silver]𝓋𝒶𝓂𝓅𝒾𝓇𝑒[/color] ✧ [color=silver]𝓊𝓃𝓈𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓃[/color][/color]
Melina has turned Theophania into a vampire; Melina is actually [i]ancient[/i], but pretends that she was turned within the last century; drinking Melina's blood grants you perfect, flawless skin.

 

[/hider]

COLOMBELLES

Tess: https://urstyle.fashion/topic/2414583/topic