"Dance is the alchemy of movement."
Nadia Bellerose
Ask Nadia about her family, and she will tell you that she is merely a daughter of Thavnair, and that every Thavnairian--from the merchants of Radz-at-Han to the expatriates living in the alleys of Ul'dah--are her brothers and sisters. This is true, but it is not the whole truth.Nadia was born to the House of Amestris: a minor house led by a minor Rajah ruling over a small fiefdom in a quiet corner of Thavnair. She lost that life before her fifteenth birthday. The patriarch of her family was never especially prudent with his wealth. A combination of gambling habits and poor financial investments bled the family coffers dry, and inevitably, the House of Amestris saw its name dissolved, its assets divided between rivals, and its family scattered. Her father arranged for Nadia to disappear one night on a merchant ship bound for Eorzea. It was the last act of responsibility he'd ever perform, and the last she'd ever see of Thavnair.Life in Eorzea was difficult at first. Nadia spent a year living on the charity of alms houses before fate arranged for an encounter between her and the matriarch of a traveling musical troupe known as the Bellerose Company. Pity and curiosity moved the troupe to adopting Nadia as one of their own. Affection and camaraderie compelled them to keep her. Nadia blossomed in the company of the Bellerose troupe. They were dancers and singers, actors and performers, musicians and poets. In their company, Nadia saw horizons she never imagined, and shared experiences otherwise alien to a perfumed Thavnairian princess raised in the lap of luxury. For a time, she nearly forgot about the life she left behind, and the family she'd lost.Nearly. Memories of Thavnair lingered in Nadia's heart. No matter how deeply she'd locked those memories away, they scratched and tapped at the windows of her psyche. She grew restless. In her heart, she knew she couldn't stay with the troupe all her life. She couldn't remain a terrified little Thavnairian foundling living on the grace and generosity of other people. Nadia's destiny was a story that was still unfinished, and it was up to her to dip the quill of life into the ink of experience.So Nadia said her farewells to her troupe, who had been her family for nearly ten years. Eorzea and her future lay before her; Thavnair and her past behind her. Perhaps, one day, the two poles of her life would meet again. There was so much she had yet to experience. Her life lay spread out before her like the steps of a dance. She would take each one with confidence and courage.
Roleplay Details
Age: 24
Alignment: Neutral Good
Personality: Warm, Independent, Flirtatious, Adventurous
Quirks
Decorates her hands with elaborate henna tattoos. These tattoos are temporary, and frequently depict peacocks, birds in flight, or abstract mandalas.
Nadia grew up with the Song of the Zodiac Braves. While she does not profess to her faith in public, her belief in the Braves gives her strength.
Voracious reader. Nadia loves everything about books: the bird-wing sound of a page turning, the old vanilla smell of paper, the bittersweet pleasure of reaching the end of a good story.
Burgeoning alchemist. Nadia studies alchemy in order to better understand dancing. She specializes in tinctures and perfumes. Sandalwood and jasmine are her favorites.
Loves animals, particularly coeurls. Her chocobo, Scherazade, is utterly spoiled.
Bit of a gambler, and not proud of it.
Gallery
Out of Character
Nadia Bellerose - Balmung
Time Zone: PST (West Coast) / GMT-8Thank you for reading my profile. Nadia was heavily inspired by Ashelia Dalmasca (FFXII) and Primrose Azelhart (Octopath Traveler). She is also partially inspired by the stories and traditions of the Near East. The Brave Dance is partly inspired by classical Indian dance, such as the Kathakali. The poetry of the Masnavi and the Rubaiyat are also partly responsible for Nadia's aesthetic.If you're interested in roleplaying with me, here are a few general guidelines:
I'm always happy to meet new people. Even if we're not roleplaying, don't be afraid to say hello.
Always feel free to reach out to me, especially if I have my Roleplaying tag on. I'm almost always in-character.
The best way to reach out to me is by walk-ups and tells. If I seem distracted, or I'm in a busy area, tells are more likely to get my attention.
I'm interested in slice-of-life, socializing, meeting other roleplayers, and generally making new friends. I'm open to the possibility of exploring stories as well.
I don't have a lot of personal time owing to a busy offline life. I'm usually online in the evenings.
Your personal details are your business, and I will never ask after them. I respect you regardless of who you are behind the screen, and I respect your privacy. Please extend me the same courtesy.
I'm comfortable with mature and adult themes. Nadia's roleplayer is a sex-positive person.
The Brave Dance
“In an era long since ended,
When chaos reigned o'er all the land,
Did valiant souls take up the fight
To bring forth Light and cast out Dark
They numbered twelve, no more nor less.”
-Song of the Zodiac Braves
Performance. Prayer. Martial Art. The Brave Dance is all of these things, and more. In its twelve sacred movements, it is said that the Brave Dance encompasses all things between the heavens and the earth.PerformanceThe Brave Dance is a complex and elaborate dance comprised of twelve movements, each of which represents one of the Zodiac Brave. Each movement contains a specific artistic framework designed to evoke a certain feeling in both the dancer and the audience: courage, awe, inspiration, terror, love, rapture. Within each of these twelve movements exist twelve steps, and within each of those steps exist twelve variations of gesture, expression, and posture.The Brave Dance is therefore extraordinarily complex, containing with it a near-endless combination of movements, gestures, expressions, and variations--each of them precise, each requiring perfection. Needless to say, true masters of the Brave Dance are rare indeed. As the Thavnairian aphorism goes: "Twelve lifetimes separate a student from a master."PrayerThe Brave Dance is a form of prayer. For this reason, most ardent practitioners of the Dance are faithful to the Zodiac Braves. With each movement, Dancers seek to express the soul of the Zodiac Braves. The highest ideal of a performer is to lose oneself entirely within the dance. The dancer becomes the dance. The performer becomes the performance. Swept away into a rapturous trance, the dancer disappears entirely: all that remains are the Zodiac Braves, made manifest in her every movement.Martial ArtThe Brave Dance requires rigorous physical training. Grace, power, flexibility, swiftness, precision. These are the ideals to which every practioner of the dance is expected to uphold. As the Zodiac Braves were Warriors of the Light, so too are the Brave Dancers warriors. They train with weapons and bare hands, and the movements of their dance are as lethal as they are beautiful. It is not enough to simply be a skilled dancer. A true practitioner of the Brave Dance must use her power to defend the innocent and oppose the wicked. For this reasons, Brave Dancers are also formidable opponents, skilled in the use of elegant chakrams. Their circular shape represents the unity to which all Brave Dancers aspire.