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Post by Gylliyan de Bouillon on Oct 5, 2008 23:16:30 GMT -5
Name: Gylliyan Meihui de Bouillon
InGame Name: Gylliyan
Age: 82 (turned January 1, 1926 at the age of 18)
Sex: Female
Sire: black_dragonet
House: de Bouillon
Clan: PoE
Looks -
Hair: Straight, obsidian locks, cut in long layers that range from her waist to her jaw line
Eyes: the color is so dark its almost impossible to see her pupils
Height: 5' 2"
Marking: none
Personality: Quiet, shy, withdrawn. She rarely speaks without being spoken to first.
Other: Gylliyan seems to have a zen like tranquility about her and often hums French lullaby's to herself. Her wardrobe most often consists of soft, ballet like slippers, long, flowing skirts and peasant blouses. Occasionally she will wear a bodice over her blouse that is ornately embroidered by her own hand. She most often wears her hair in two slender braids that trail down her back. For really special occasions she will don a formal kimono and twist her hair into an intricate style that is as much art as fashion.
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Post by Gylliyan de Bouillon on Oct 5, 2008 23:19:44 GMT -5
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Post by Gylliyan de Bouillon on Oct 5, 2008 23:23:55 GMT -5
Born in 1908 to Chinese immigrants, Gylliyan grew up in the beautiful city of Paris, France. Her parents were poor, yet she never lacked for any thing. As an only child, she was doted on by both parents who made sure to let her know how much she was loved. Her upbringing was an eclectic mix of French culture and Chinese tradition that instilled many deep seated habits into her. Like all Chinese women she believes its better to be seen than to be heard. But behind her silence lies a quick mind and a gentle humor. Her lilting voice is softly accented and she speaks in a charming mix of French and English.
Growing up poor in Paris wasn't always easy. At the tender age of 10, Gylliyan took a job as a laundress to help supplement her parents income. Unfortunately the only places she could find work was in the many Parisian bordellos. While the women working there were sweet and kind to Gylliyan, they often had to protect her from lecherous men who wanted more from her than clean linens and fresh towels. Through it all, she had a quiet grace about her and a soft smile that often times drew an answering smile from those around her.
The women of the bordellos taught her how to read and play several musical instruments. At night, Gylliyan would sit with her parents and play a lap harp for them or read to them from one of the many battered books she had acquired over time. She had a thirst for knowledge and a gentle wisdom that was often hard to contain.
On New Years day in 1926 she met a man who would change her life in ways she never imagined possible. Her one and only sire black_dragonet, had gently brought her into a world she had never thought possible. To this day he stands beside her to offer his guidance and wisdom, at the same time giving her the freedom to choose the path of her unlife.
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Post by Toshiya Marcellus on Oct 11, 2008 14:36:44 GMT -5
she's pretty. very lovely CS ^^
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Post by sakie on Oct 11, 2008 15:30:35 GMT -5
nice cs, shes very cute XP
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Post by Gylliyan de Bouillon on Oct 13, 2008 11:51:09 GMT -5
Thank you both. I've been fleshing out her history as well. See below.
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Post by Gylliyan de Bouillon on Oct 13, 2008 11:51:56 GMT -5
The History of Gylliyan Part One
Changpu and Qiaolian Liang immigrated to France in the fall of 1905. Arriving in Nice they made their way north until they reached Paris, where they settled into a plain, but fulfilling life. They made a simple home in a small apartment in Paris and Qiaolian worked as a laundress for some of the wealthier citizens of Paris while Changpu found a job working the press for a local newspaper. For three years they lived and worked, painfully aware that something was missing, until one day in the early months of 1908 Qiaolian surprised her husband with the joyous news of her pregnancy. Eight and a half months later, under the care of a midwife, Qiaolin gave birth to a beautiful baby girl with Changpu holding her hand the whole time.
They christened their daughter Gylliyan Meihui Ling and she very quickly became the center of their lives. As an infant Gylliyan was very happy, she seldom cried and seemed to radiate a Zen like tranquility that calmed anyone who came near her. Her smile would light up a room and her laugh would coax a response from even the surliest person. As soon as she was old enough to walk, Qiaolin would take Gylliyan with her to the houses she worked at. Her employers delighted in having such a sweet tempered child around and it allowed Qiaolin to always be with her daughter.
In 1914, at the tender age of 6, war spread across France, making their simple life a bit more difficult as things were in short supply. Gylliyan watched as her parents struggled to maintain the quality of the already poor life they had. They began growing what simple vegetables they could on their balcony and supplementing their diet with fish that her father was able to catch. At the age of 10 Gylliyan took up work as a laundress alongside her mother, helping to supplement the families income even as the war drew to a close. Once again their life took on the simple happiness of her early childhood.
Days blended into weeks that blended into months and years. Life was peaceful, quiet and happy. Gylliyan grew into a slender, ethereally beautiful woman. She had large, almond shaped eyes that were as black as the night, yet filled with a sparkle and zest for life. Her obsidian hair fell in gentle waves to the middle of her back, long layers framing a perfectly porcelain face. Standing at a petite 5’2” her zest for life made her seem taller than she really was. There was a bounce to her step and a vibrancy for life that was visible in every movement she made. It was this vibrancy that would draw a strange and unique man to her. One who would become her sire on New Year’s Day in 1926.
Black_dragonet taught her everything she needed to know about being a vampire. How to live, avoid the sun, feed, and most importantly how to keep her secret from everyone around her. When the time came for him to leave Paris again, he offered her the choice to stay with him, or to stay in her beloved country. Her heart was torn, debating to go with her new father or to stay with parents who didn’t know she still lived. In the end, she chose to stay in Paris and watch over her ailing parents. After all they had given her she couldn’t bring herself to leave them.
In 1929 the Great Depression swept across the world, hitting America the hardest. Yet France was not without its share of suffering. Changpu and Qiaolian lost their jobs as the wealthy lost their money and the news paper cut back its staff. They were only able to survive with their meager garden and the fish Changpu could catch. Times were harder now than they were in the First World War. Unable to stand the sight of her parents suffering Gylliyan took a job in the one place that would never close, no matter how hard times became. She became a laundress in the brothels of Paris.
The ladies treated her like a daughter, protecting her from the johns that came, offering her shelter during the day and hot meals, though she never ate the food. When the Ladies found out she was taking the food to her parents and leaving it along with the tiny amount of money she earned, they began to help her. Each night the Ladies would give Gylliyan a small portion of their earnings for her parents, helping to support them through the Depression era.
Over the next ten years, Gylliyan continued to work in the brothels, setting into a routine that began at sunset and ended at sunrise. It came as no surprise that the Madam and some of the Ladies began to question Gylliyan’s ageless appearance. Eventually she confessed what she truly was, but instead of being shunned by the women, she was accepted, sheltered and protected, as if nothing had ever changed.
It would be in May of 1940 that the Ladies she had come to love would once again protect her and save her life. Rumor of war spread across the country like a wildfire. Remembering the brutality of the Germans from the first war, a handful of Ladies decided to flee to neutral Switzerland to keep Gylliyan safe from harm. Travelling across France by night, and hiding in barns and abandoned houses by day, they barely made it across the border to safety when word came that France had surrendered to the Germans. The day was June 24, 1940 and Gylliyan knew she would never forget it so long as she lived.
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Post by Gylliyan de Bouillon on Oct 14, 2008 13:03:22 GMT -5
The History of Gylliyan Part 2
On May 8, 1945 victory was declared in Europe by the Allied troops and Gylliyan ached to be home again, to learn what happened to her parents. The Ladies she had travelled with all agreed and once more they began the perilous trek across parts of Switzerland and France, seeking their home city of Paris. They arrived late in June of 1945, first returning to the brothel that had sheltered them all those years to find it in good repair. The Madame welcomed them back with open arms, and each one of the Ladies and Gyll was promptly installed in their old rooms and given a hot bath and a hot meal. The first they’d had in weeks.
The very next night, Gylliyan was on the street as soon as the sun set. Keeping to the shadows and pulling her dark coat around her petite frame, she darted from street to street. Worry creased her delicate features as she noted there was more damage the farther away from the city center one moved. Clutching her coat with a pale hand, her hurried steps stopped and she stared in frozen horror at the ruble that had once been her parent’s apartment building. Climbing on top of the pile of brick and wood, she began to dig frantically, knowing even as she did that they could not have survived.
Luck was on her side as she kept digging. Her fingers brushed a simple wooden picture frame that she carefully extracted from the pile. The glass had broken but the picture remained intact. It was an old sepia photograph of her parents. Recognizing the picture as one they kept on their dresser, she kept digging through the rubble, ignoring the cuts and bruises until she found the simple wooden jewelry box that had always sat next to the photo. Opening the lid, she sighed in relief to find the objects of her desire still safely tucked away. Pulling out the simple gold wedding bands, she placed her father’s ring on her thumb and her mother’s on her ring finger. The metal was cool against her pale skin, and she watched it sparkle in the light as she lifted the photograph and clutched it to her.
Walking back to the brothel with her treasures, she knew it would not be the last time she faced a loss so tragic and personal. Sadly she would always watch the people she knew and loved die. Some would get to grow old, some would not. It was simply a part of the life she lived now. She made herself a promise on that fateful night that she would never let grief weigh her down and change who she was. She would accept fate and move on.
As she entered the front door, she was surprised to see all her friends there waiting for her. Shutting the door firmly behind her, she turned to face the group, and without needing to say a word, they moved forward and wrapped her in a loving embrace. In those silent moments she knew that she would always have a family here who loved her and would never pass judgment on her. And so time slowly went forward, and her routine was once more established as the laundry maid of the brothel.
Then came a day that she had always known was coming, the Madam died and the brothel passed to one of her daughters. Gylliyan was free to stay, but saw this as a sign that it was time to travel the world. On her last night there, the Ladies threw a party for her and handed her an envelope full of money. Each woman had been saving part of their earnings, knowing one day the time would come for Gylliyan to leave. With a tearful smile, and several goodbyes she finally slipped out the door for the last time.
Traveling by boat and by train, she made her way across Europe and the United Kingdom. The money her friends had collected was more than enough to allow her to travel like a debutant, never needing to work or struggle for shelter. It was a life she was unaccustomed to and so she relished every moment and every little luxury that came her way. After a time, she decided to travel to America and see the sights there. The year was 1955 and the Civil Rights Movement was just beginning.
Gylliyan was in a position to watch history unfold before her very eyes. She attended every event and speech that was held in the night time hours. Her fascination centered on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and later President John F. Kennedy. The 60’s were fraught with turmoil and change as history struggled to rewrite its self in the pages of the universe. All eyes were on the United States for two fateful weeks in October of 1965. The Cuban Missile Crises made the world hold its collective breath while everyone watched and waited, terrified of death and nuclear winter. World War II was still fresh in the hearts and minds of the populace and no one had forgotten what happened to Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Fortunately for every one the worst never happened and life resumed its unsettled, frenetic pace towards change. A little over a year later, the United States would be plunged into mourning for their beloved President Kennedy. On November 22nd , 1963 President Kennedy was fatally shot while traveling by motorcade through Dallas Texas. It was a day of infamy that would live forever in the hearts and minds of those old enough to remember.
For Gylliyan it was another fascinating study in the lives of humans. Never would she forget that day, but for very different reasons than the humans who would live to remember it. There would be many such days, branded in her immortal mind. Such as the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. just a few short years later. April 4th, 1968 would have been a day like any other except for the single gunshot that would change history and propel the Civil Rights Movement forward like no other event in history.
Even immortals can be changed by history and each event in the passing years would leave their mark on Gylliyan. She would write pages and pages of letters to her Sire and describe the things she had seen and done. She was always in contact with him, no matter where in the world they both were. And it was through one of those letters that Gylliyan was brought to RavenBlack. At the request of her sire, she came to this strange city in July of 2008 to make a life for herself and hopefully to write a few pages of her own history.
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