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“There is no need to patronize. I assure you, sir, that I know it all very well. I need only to practice.”
Lydia Wrottesley
Lydia Wrottesley
Lydia Wrottesley
“There is no need to patronize. I assure you, sir, that I know it all very well. I need only to practice.”
C H A R A C T E R I N F O _________________________________________________________C H A R A C T E R I N F O | Lydia Rachel Wrottesley | 18 | _________________________________________________________ | AFAB (Indifferent) | 4’11”/99lbs | _________________________________________________________ | Indifferent | Bourgeoisie | C H A R A C T E R N O T E S C H A R A C T E R N O T E S - M I S C E L L A N E O U S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Character Info Birthday: 19 August, 1793 Country of Origin: England Languages Spoken: French, English, Latin (Classical & Liturgical), Classical Greek, & Tuscan Affiliation: St. Eustice's School for the Enlightened Motivation: Lydia has historically been known to be listless and generally resistant to putting her Enlightenment towards any real use. In the past year, this has changed dramatically. It would seem she has come around to the importance of courtship and English high society and is making a good faith effort. What has changed? The frustrating truth she has understood is that this station of hers is no temporary arrangement, and she therefore cannot treat her life as a transient situation. Habits: Lydia is meticulously Continental, to such a degree that it appears utterly involuntary—even her interjections are French. Likewise, her private mannerisms and attitudes defy reasonable explanation; her nonverbal behaviours are quite unexpected from any young daughter of a merchant. Hobbies: Despite her intransigence as a student, it must be said that Lydia is a keen learner when left to her own devices. She possesses a passing interest in most subjects, endeavours to remain thoroughly informed as to the state of affairs, and adores the theatre. Almost never, however, does she apply knowledge or create art; she seems most eager to consume rather than produce. ► Fears At her core, Lydia is a craven. She retreats without hesitation from any sort of physical risk, even should doing so constitute a betrayal of those she is meant to honor. She is meticulous about hygiene, for fear of illness. So too does she revile the night air. She utterly rejects the very notion of engaging in any sort of risky physical endeavour. From anything that could readily bring her physical harm, she recoils, be it sword, fist, or sea. ► Skills True to form, despite being a difficult student in most respects, her proficiency in academic disciplines is, in general, formidable. She is extensively knowledgeable, if not supernaturally cognizant, in the field of history, in particular with respect to that of France and of Rome. With respect to other Humanities, she possesses an extensive familiarity with Continental literature, in particular poetry—to say nothing of her knowledge of philosophy. Her recollection of scripture, if perhaps strangely oriented towards Roman Catholic doctrine, is formidable. Such familiarity, however, seems less exceptional when it is understood that she possesses excellent command of Latin. This skill, evidently, has been of great use to her, for her extensive knowledge of contemporary and historical scientific and mathematical discoveries. If only she were more personable, she would surely be understood to have the foundations of a magnificent polymath. And if only she could be coaxed to produce rather than merely consume, one must imagine she would greatly contribute to the advancement of knowledge in a great many fields. ► Shortcomings Lydia is only a decent conversationalist if one prefers interest over nicety. Despite her recent efforts, her approach towards the specifics of English etiquette is one of begrudging acceptance, rather than proactive adherence. It very much shows, for how she still appears halting and unfamiliar with the minutiae, and is ultimately still prone to dismissing problems—to say nothing of her enduring and inexplicable Continental habits. In a similar vein, she bears a flippant attitude to many aspects of contemporary living. She is resistant to critique even when actively trying to behave otherwise. Although evidently capable of empathy, she can rarely be seen to proactively exercise creative perspective-taking—a heartfelt rebuker of the social model espoused in Adam Smith’s Theory of Moral Sentiments in opinion and behaviour alike is she. She is of an idle disposition; bears little, if any, measure of physical prowess or athleticism; and is easily distracted. And as if these failings were not sufficient, she is prone to motion sickness in the extreme; she will spend the majority of any trip by carriage or ship in a truly sorry state. ► Likes One must imagine Lydia to be an immensely busy reader for how she seems to devour writings on a great variety of topics. Beyond her private interest in the great many matters which compose her apparent encyclopaedic knowledge, she has professed an enjoyment for historical music, theatre, and fashion. Further, she is a proud student of the French language, and is keen to converse—ironically, recalling her struggles with English custom, prone to behaving in a manner that would see her well at home in the Ancien Régime. ► Dislikes If one were to attempt to list Lydia’s great many particularities, one would soon run into two problems. First, the breadth of the question. Second, the idiosyncratic and unpredictable nature of her preferences. Among the most broad of her aversions, however, is her disdain for any manner of domestic labour. Despite hailing from a family which by any account would not be imagined to employ such a wealth of servants as to produce an unfamiliarity with the notion, she strongly resists any attempt to induce her into doing anything of the sort. Indeed, not only does she disdain the work itself, but bears little esteem for those who engage in it—even less than one might expect from an individual of higher standing than labourers. Nor, curiously, does she hold those of her own nominal standing in great regard. In line with these clear opinions, she holds in ill regard the overwhelming majority of middle-class habits and lifestyle, to say nothing of her plain refusal to engage with anything of the lower classes in more measure than absolutely required of her. One must, in short, imagine her to dislike in some measure or another every minute aspect of her social standing, and yet, scarcely does marrying up seem a plausible solution either. She lacks any apparent pride in her country—a feature which would surely render her an unacceptable bride to any English noble. - R U M O R S R U M O R S - S E C R E T S & L I E S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Rumors It has been asked on some occasions if Lydia’s apparent intellect is the result of Enlightenment at all, or instead a set of coincidences which she has taken to heart, such that she now uses her abilities with respect to animals in order to cheat at examinations and otherwise gain a dishonest academic advantage. Although there are clear holes in this explanation if one knows her history well enough, it may not be without its foundations in fact. In other areas, another rumour casts a different cloud over Lydia—and by extension, her parents. Her Francophilia must come from somewhere, and it has led some to question her parents' sympathies—to say nothing of her own. ► Secrets Lydia is a liar. She is truthful about her tastes, about her knowledge, and about her control over beasts—yet Lydia Wrottesley was born with none of this. Lydia may share her parents’ blood, but that is all she and who she should have been share. - | E N L I G H T E N E D A B I L I T I E S E N L I G H T E N E D A B I L I T I E S Lydia Wrottesley is a young lady in possession of two distinct Enlightened abilities, both of an apparently psychic nature. Most apparent and most used is her supernatural intellect. As outlined elsewhere, she has already demonstrated an accumulated knowledge which would position her with the potential to become one of the great polymaths of history. Unfortunately, her abilities to apply this immense breadth of learning have yet gone largely unassessed. It remains plausible that her intellect is only Enlightened with respect to her ability to accumulate information and is indeed entirely unexceptional elsewhere. It is likewise possible that her intransigence is a sign of paralysis in face of the scope of mankind’s knowledge. No matter the reason, this unwillingness to add to man’s knowledge impairs any further understanding of the precise nature of this particular expression of her Enlightenment. It is for this reason that it cannot be said which of her Enlightened abilities is major and which is minor, as it cannot be thoroughly compared with the more well-understood of her abilities, that of her command over animals. Through the merest touch, she may assert her will over any manner of beast, commanding it as if its flesh were her own, and receiving its impressions. She has made clear that whatever more the beast may be able to see, hear, or smell than a human, she is unable to perceive, and yet is unable to perceive what a human might but that the beast in question cannot. She has further begrudgingly confessed that this is contingent on successful subsumption of the beast’s will. How she knows this is unclear; she has scarcely been seen to fail in this respect. Indeed, contrary to this assertion, she is capable of exercising control over multiple beasts at once, and consuming their impressions at once. So extensive is her ability to do so that one must on occasion wonder if her profound breadth of knowledge is more product of this formidable ability to split her attention than it is of a plainly superior ability to acquire knowledge—that she is so well read for having had more eyes with which to do so, rather than a greater singular mind with which to process it. B A C K S T O R Y B A C K S T O R Y While it is common form for St. Eustice’s to initiate contact, in circumstances such as that of Miss Wrottesley, it is to be expected that her parents might see fit to alert the institution to their child’s apparent gifts. By Mrs. Anne Wrottesley’s recollection, it was no later than the age of three that Lydia’s Enlightenment became undeniable. Though the early onset of speech and reason was notable in its own right, several incidents wherein the Wrottesleys found their young daughter apparently able to comprehend writing in some measure, despite never having been taught, suggested a superior intellectual ability. Understanding this, a variety of prior occasions where domesticated animals could be seen to serve the child’s ends in manners which had previously been regarded as unexpected sociability from the beasts in question came into a new light. When these phenomena were expressed to St. Eustice’s, further examination revealed the Wrottesleys’ suspicions to be well-founded—their daughter was indeed Enlightened. Prior to her twelfth birthday, Miss Wrottesley experienced extensive tutoring at her father’s expense, in coordination with St. Eustice’s. Though a consistently frustrating student, her Enlightenment has nonetheless shown itself time and time again nonetheless. Due to this oft-bemoaned difficulty of personality, the effort to construe the precise nature of her Enlightenment has remained a challenge in and of itself even since her arrival. By any accounts, she is an excellent student on the occasion that she can be coaxed into applying herself towards matters of genuine consequence. It was for many years the case that her personality remained the greatest impediment towards her education. However, in the past year, a fortuitous change has developed with respect to this matter. For what reason, one cannot say, but Lydia Wrottesley has turned a corner. Her engagement remains wavering in many areas, but it can scarcely be said that her attitude is so resistant as to make her education as exceedingly frustrating as it once was. E X T R A S E X T R A S « D’accord. Votre traque termine ici. Je ne peux plus fuir. Quand vous me tuez, la maison d’Armagnac sera finie. Je ne crains pas ce sort, soyez assurés. Mais je suis bien amer. Nous sommes amers. Révolutionnaires, vous nous vainquîtes. Le présent nous trahissait, et donc je pourrais aussi bien faire la même. Comme je suis un homme damné, comme nôtre maison est damnée, comme nos morts sont toutes trouvées, je voudrais me confesser. C’est ça, votre récompense. Manants, écoutez vos supérieurs encore une fois. Votre récompense est la vérité. La vérité du duché. La vérité de la maison. La vérité de nôtre éveillement. Vous vous interrogeâtes souvent sur nos éveillements, non? C’est estrange, non? Il n’y a jamais eu une autre famille qui manifeste toujours un éveillement, et toujours le mesme éveillement. Nous le cachasmes depuis trois siècles. Vous forçastes nos mains. Et comment maintenir cel statu quo? C’est tout simplement que nous ne sommes pas qu’une famille. Nous sommes qu’un estre, n'unit pas seulement dans le sang, mais aussi en esprit. Vous nous assassinastes encore et encore. Cors aprés cors, trouvé et guillotiné par vos armées des manants. Nous vismes la Révolution. Robespierre, sa Comité, le Terreur, et la Chute. La Directoire. Et cætera, et cætera. Mes yeux n'avaient pas vu cest événements, mais nous? Nous rappelons chasque exécution quand même. Nous partageons un esprit. Chasque personne, chasque Armagnac, depuis le XVIème siècle. Nous estions qu’une seule personne, habitant en chair et en os d'innombrables cors. Et maintenant? Je suis le cors final de la maison d’Armagnac. Nostre éveillement nous permit à enterrer d'innombrables cors. C’est qu’une blague cosmique. D’estre réduit d’un seul cors, misérable et malheureux comme vous. Sauf que nous mentirons si nous dirons ça. La blague cosmique est que vous anéantissez nostre sang précieux, cel que nous cultivâmes depuis trois siècles. Nous sommes privés de nostre droit de naissance. Nous serons consignés au cors inadaptés. Vous seriez privés d’une victoire valable. La lignée Armagnac sera finie à vos mains, mais vous réussistes seulement à chasser nostre esprit de cels cors ici. Vous ne réussirez pas à chasser nostre esprit au paradis ni en enfer. Nous sommes autres malgré tout. Malgré leurs cors répugnants. Malgré leur sang impur. Malgré leurs lignées détestables. Malgré leurs patries inférieures. Malgré vous, nous resterons. Et nous reviendrons. Nous restablirons. Vos enfants, vos descendants nous accueilleront avec impatience. Savez-vous chasque forme qu’un estre humain peut prendre? Nous povons devenir n’importe quelle personne. Nous sommes bien plus instruits, bien plus résistants que vous. Nous sommes vaincus aujourd’hui, c’est incontestable, mais demain? Nous reviendrons un jour, et avec quelques nouveaux cors fonderons une nouvelle dynastie. Nous danserons sur vos cendres. Chasque révolte brusle jusqu’à cel qu’elle ne puisse pas brusler. » – Etienne II d’Armagnac, shortly after his capture in Lemberg on 23 May, 1810 Favorite Movie: Bernie |
