Astrid O'Malley

[Astrid O'Malley]

You are flesh and blood
And you deserve to be loved
And you deserve what you are given

Face Claim: Florence Welch
OOC Name: Cassiopeia

CHARACTER NAME: Astrid O'Malley
AGE: 33
SEXUALITY: Demisexual
CURRENT RESIDENCE: Teronna
note: vegetarian

APPEARANCE: Astrid is a tall, extremely thin woman, with an appearance that can be unsettling to some. Her strong features appear quite androgynous or inhuman in some lights, and her tendency to be out late in the full moon only makes this worse. Her clothing choices are extremely eclectic, with a wide variety of layers and textures being chosen as long as they are roughly the same color scheme. She also has bright red hair which she prefers to wear down, and wears a mismatched patchwork of rings on her fingers which she has collected over the years.

MARITAL STATUS: Unmarried
FAMILY MEMBERS: None - Astrid has no memory of her biological family
POSITION/OCCUPATION: Mystic
GRAMARYE GIFT (if any): Firestarter - Astrid can spark a flame with a touch of her hand. Once the flame is lit it depends on fuel and conditions the same as any natural flame. She has no other control of it. Her hands will not be burned by fire, but any other part of her will. 

Watching me is like watching a fire

Take your eyes from you

PERSONALITY: Astrid is a strange, quiet woman, who speaks little to strangers. Only those she trusts will hear what she has to say. She seems to feel that most people wouldn't understand her, anyway. She is afraid of dogs due to a bad experience in her past. 

For those who know her, Astrid is kind and gentle, and will often care for those in need. She believes that all living things should be treated with proper kindness. She often takes this to extremes--for example she prefers not to fell a living tree for firewood when at all possible. Due to being raised first in a strict orphanage, then as essentially a slave, she is appreciative of her freedom to do as she pleases, even in the little things, such as walking in the woods, dancing to music, or choosing what to eat and when. 

She can appear childish due to her fascination with these simple things, but in reality she's quite aware of the problems of the larger world. She makes a very conscious effort to be a force for good in a world full of harsh and terrible things. 

A note to the wise: Astrid will allow almost infinite harm to herself, but injury to the people she cares about will change her into someone unrecognizable. It is not recommended.

I've been watching your kindness keep
A lonely company
Look at the fire and think of me

LIKES: Ruairc Cathain , candles, the full moon, the forest, snakes
DISLIKES: crowds, being the center of attention, wardens, dogs, hunting
HABITS: setting small scraps of leaves, pine needles, etc on fire when she is alone/with trusted people; being out at night; playing with the campfires since she cannot burn her fingers
SELF IMAGE: Astrid doesn't seem to think much of herself at all, not in a negative way, she just doesn't think about her physicality often, and when she does she often chooses to dress and style her hair however makes her happiest. She doesn't worry too much about how others perceive her.
REPUTATION: Astrid is known as being a little eccentric even among the Mystic camp. She is often out alone at night in the woods; she says that the quiet calms her. The others find this weird. 

HISTORY:
Astrid was found wandering the streets alone at age four. She told the old woman who found her that she didn't have any parents. The woman took her to an orphanage, where she lived until she was 12, and a noble family took her in to be one of their servants. The lord and lady of the house weren't particularly unkind, seeing as she did have a roof over her head and food to eat, but she was not paid in any way save for the necessities of what was needed to live. Their son, when he was home, treated all the servants poorly, but particularly Astrid, who he seemed to think was a good target since she had no one to care for her or protect her. She dreaded his visits. 

When Astrid was 23, she was caught setting the bedroom fires without matches and thrown out of the house. They told her she was lucky they didn't turn her in then and there, and she was too detached from things to understand why. They changed their minds and sent the hunting dogs out to chase her a few minutes after she left.

For the next few years, Astrid moved from household to household as a basic scullery maid. Whenever she felt it was time to leave, she would.

Six years ago, Astrid heard rumours about a gathering of people like her. She left her current position without a word and went in search of them. It took her several months, seeing as the group was attempting to keep a low profile, but thankfully someone managed to bring her into the group before she got herself into serious trouble. 

In the mystic camp, Astrid has become more relaxed over the last five years, although she hasn't made many strong connections. She is kind to all the others, however, and is happy to light cooking and campfires, candles, lamps, and anything else needed by anyone around her. 

She soon became fascinated with the leader of the mystics, Ruairc Cathain , who seemed to her to be struggling with a great burden. People were constantly pushing him to make decisions and lead, but rarely gave him time to take care of himself. She began doing small things to try and make his life easier, from helping to take care of his things to trying to arrange committees of people to handle things that didn't need to be brought to him every time. She was content to be an invisible help, until recently when she began trying to speak with him more, to better understand him and how she can help. 

“Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief.
Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly now.
You are not obligated to complete the work,
but neither are you free to abandon it.”
- Rabbi Tarfon