Character Name: Adrasteia "Adra" Desdemona
Adrasteia is of Greek origin and means "inescapable" or "not running away."
Desdemona is of Greek origin and means "ill-starred" or "ill-fated"

Gender: Female
Age and Date of Birth: Early twenties, born in the middle of Autumn

Used Canons: Manga for general world-building purposes

Appearance: Adrasteia is made of a lot of dark colors, except for her eyes which are strikingly pale. Her skin is a dusky brown, a deep rich color with red tones. Her hair is nearly black, catching the light as a desaturated purple. It falls in a naturally straight way, reaching down to her knees. She keeps the front of her hair pinned back and decorated with pale side-sitting sets of ribbons. Her hair is kept neat, though a single curl tends to escape from her hairstyle, sitting alone and free. She is of fairly average height, standing at about 5'6".

As for her attire, Adra tends to enjoy soft and free-flowing clothes, with a lot of layers. She keeps herself covered up more often than not, opting for more layers than necessary, no matter the temperature around her. She gravitates towards muted color palettes full of desaturated colors. She's never worn anything bright or summery, and tends to stick to the same colors. She's not against ornamentation, but she keeps it to small and simple things. Her favorite outfit has a bit of ribbon embellishment in the bodice with three crescent jewels hanging from it, for example, and she wears a set of dangling earrings. She also has the ribbon in her hair, but she skips over anything with a lot of flair. Her clothes give the idea of someone who enjoys comfort and gentle softness aided by a few embellished details, but doesn't feel the desire to stick much out of a crowd.

Image Reference:

Personality: Adra is a gentle soul, moving with caution and purpose in all things. She tries her best not to cause harm to others but will not back down if it is necessary. She is a somewhat quiet person, opting to let others do the talking around her but that doesn't keep her from piping in with a comment if she feels it needs to be said. Especially if she feels that people are forgetting to think of the darker consequences or possibilities of a situation.

For Adrasteia is most preoccupied with such things. Always pondering, always thinking, always worrying about how something might go wrong. How it might be that someone will die, or become injured, or cause harm to others. It's an inevitability, something she knows will happen eventually. She loves the light and its warm brightness, but she does not forget the darkness. She accepts the fact that with bright light there must be an equally black darkness to go with it. It's the way of life, and anyone who denies it is being foolish. Everyday, she feels the fears and the darkness that lives inside everyone and it has had its affect on her, so she knows well just how prominent these things are in life. She is slow to trust, and slow to become close with others. It takes time to get used to their particular color of emotion, to know how to deal with the personal way they project their emotions.

Adrasteia is a morose person, often described as gloomy or dour, but never mean. She doesn't lash out due to these feelings, opting to keep them bottled inward. She is a pessimist, often expecting the worst outcome regardless of the situation. It takes outside forces (such as her teammates) to help remind her that things are not always so grim.

It is easy for Adra to fall into the pit of darkness that constantly assaults her. Over the years, she's grown to know how to deal with the onslaught of dark emotions, knows how to barrier herself away from it all, but she is not made of steel. On particularly difficult days or situations, it is near impossible for her to stop from being enveloped by those emotions. It takes effort and time to build back those barriers. Her friends help in this, however, and sometimes a simple smile can make it it much easier.

Due to her heightened empathy, Adrasteia tends to react instinctively based on her own emotions and the emotions around her, rather than any logical reasoning. She isn't blind to that logic, just that she doesn't believe it to be of the same importance as that of people's hearts and feelings towards the situation.

As a senshi, Melpomene sticks to the back of the group as her own skills are better suited to support rather than offense. Sometimes she wonders if it is her own personal tragedy that she has grows stronger as everyone around her grows weaker. It is a cruel fate to watch her allies fall and feel a burst of strength in response.

She can sometimes hesitate depending on how highly emotional a battle may become, needing an extra moment to focus herself on the task at hand. Despite this, these emotions also help her in battle, allowing her to pinpoint those specific wisps of color that she can identify as her specific allies or enemies, especially as her poor eyesight is a hindrance against quick-moving targets. Of course, it all depends on what people are feeling. If someone is feeling overly confident or excited to get into battle, she won't be able to 'see' them at all. But during a difficult battle with people injured and scared, she can practically see every detail of the battle through her empathy. The stronger those dark emotions, the clearer they become.

Sometimes it is better for her to simply close her eyes to the battle and feel what is going on around her. It's a hard balance to strike, to keep from becoming too overwhelmed while still taking in those emotions. Due to her experience, she's somewhat well-versed at it, but it is not an exact science and every battle poses its own personal challenges.

Any Unique Abilities/Skills:

• Skilled Singer: Adra has a very melodic voice, well-practiced and capable of reaching a wide range of tones with a pleasing quality. Sometimes it sounds as though she is capable of producing several tones at once, creating a harmony on her own.
  
• Enhanced Empathy: She has a keen sense of other people's emotions. Although she can feel hints of things like happiness and relief, the strongest senses come from feelings such as fear, anger, and pain. Even in strangers, she can get at least a sense of these darker emotions, and the stronger those emotions and convictions are, the clearer it becomes to her. Sometimes, if she is close to someone, she can vaguely sense their brighter emotions, but even then it is a difficult task she needs to focus on and it rarely works. Due to her hindered eyesight, this sense of empathy helps her to "see" more easily during battle.
  

History: Alcestis is a relatively small planet with two orbiting moons, Thalia and Melpomene. It is from the latter of these moons that Adrasteia was born. While Alcestis is the main hub, full of people and life and a growing appreciation for technology, Melpomene's people opt to stick to tradition and the old ways, keeping technology from their sacred lands.

The set of moons always produce a single protector each for the use of the Alcestis royal family. It is a long tradition that Adra found herself born into as Melpomene's senshi. She spent many years training and learning to serve the princess to the best of her ability. As a child, Adra's empathy was nearly the ruin of her. With no experience to build barriers against the emotions around her, she almost lost herself to the darkness several times as she grew up.

One comforting presence was that of Delphine, the senshi born of Thalia. The training regimen of a senshi is rigorous, leaving little time for play as they learned to become protectors of Alcestis royalty. But Delphine was a brightness amongst the overwhelming emotions. Delphine often didn't let things like anger or fear take over her, giving Adra a reprieve from it all during the time they spent together. They were brought to train together often, as they were meant to work as a team.

Eventually, they met the princess they were trained to protect, Nephele, cherished princess of Alcestis and future Sailor Alcestis. The princess had yet to undergo her own transformation, as becoming Sailor Alcestis is meant as a rite of growing up and she would not take it on until her 13th birthday. So it was that Thalia and Melpomene took on their role as protectors. Although they were young as well, they went about their duty as was expected of them. They were not allowed to be familiar with Nephele, treating her with the distance and reverence that her station demanded. They still adored her, came to know her, but no one was allowed to become too familiar or personable with the princess. But at least Thalia and Melpomene had each other.

Alcestis often came under attack, both from outright battles against the planet and in more subtle ways such as assassination attempts against the royal family. Alcestis is a powerful hub, a place ripe with resources and technology all set in a place that other planets desire for its ample trading opportunities, and because of its smaller size, Alcestis is often seen as an easy target. So attacks are a frequent threat. Alcestis has its own army and defense systems, but Thalia and Melpomene were at the head of the efforts to keep the Alcestis Princess alive and well. Once Nephele was old enough to become Sailor Alcestis, the planet would be safe under her protection and power.

It was not an easy task, but they were capable and worked well as a unit, growing closer as time went on. Nephele was left unscathed and happy under the protection of her two senshi, and when she ascended as Sailor Alcestis the three worked well as a unit, keeping the planet from outward attacks from rivals and thwarting assassination attempts from all angles. It wasn't easy and it took a lot of effort from all three senshi, but as they worked together in a more intimate and cohesive way, they grew as a team. Melpomene was able to learn more about Nephele, becoming more friendly in a way she and Thalia had been denied for so many years. Things were as close to peaceful as Alcestis could get for years.

Until agents of Chaos arrived.

The battle began with destruction and ended in death. The planet burned and its people were targeted ruthlessly. The senshi fought with all of their might but they were losing. Sailor Alcestis used what little power she had left to try and finish off the Chaos Agent. In doing so, she left herself vulnerable, and took a hit that both Thalia and Melpomene were too slow to deflect. The Chaos Agent was still alive despite the hit it took, still wreaking havoc on the planet and its people.

Melpomene had troubles during this battle. Too much despair, too much fear and pain emanated from the planet, boosting her powers even as it overwhelmed her own emotions. Added to the sense of guilt and failure, it was a rough battle to continue to fight. Alcestis still had yet to get up, but she and Thalia had to keep fighting. But they were failing. The weight of despair upon her mind lessened as more people died, more destruction raged across the planet.

This was it. They had failed, and their planet was dead and soon they would join the rest.  

A sudden bright light shone amongst the darkness raining over Alcestis. The bright light was strange, unexpected. It was beautiful. She'd never felt such a thing before. A rare occurrence to feel such light. Sometimes she could feel a small glimmer of happiness from Thalia when she concentrated on the feeling, and when Thalia was at her most contented. But nothing at all like this, warm and glowing, undeterred. It was near intoxicating.

And it was powerful. The brilliant white figure killed the agent, ending the reign of terror across Alcestis. But the planet was devastated, all but destroyed in the fight. With no planet, no people, no senshi to protect, she'd failed the one thing she had trained her whole life to do. Alcestis thrives under the power of its senshi, and it could be generations before she came back. What was the point in existing if everything she'd ever loved was nothing but ash? What was the point in even trying to rebuild the planet if this very same thing could happen again?

It is from this lowest point that Thalia and Melpomene both decide to join Cosmos in her fight. Her goal would help all planets everywhere, not just Alcestis. Ridding the world of Chaos would ensure that the universe's most dangerous enemy could not continue this destruction.

But it was also an act of desperation. For Melpomene had grown her whole life with lessons and thoughts of protecting Sailor Alcestis, and now without anyone to aim those instincts upon, she turned towards someone she was certain would need protection during a most perilous journey.

And perhaps this time she could succeed where she had once failed.

Relationships:

• Cosmos: Melpomene met Cosmos at the worst time in her life, a time where she needed someone to protect in order to make up for her failures. Cosmos saved her and Thalia, and with a desire to cling to some greater cause, she joins up with her. Cosmos would need help, after all. But there was more to it than that. Cosmos's bright light is intoxicating. It's not exactly an emotion, but she feels it in much the same way as she does the darker feelings she's used to sensing. At first, it is all of these reasons that Melpomene decides to join Cosmos, but it is not why she stays. At first, she found her eyes lingering on Cosmos due to this strange prismatic light, but now it's more than that. Cosmos herself presents a beautiful soul whom she has enjoyed getting to know. Although she fights for a greater good, and emits such power, Cosmos is careful and has a way of balancing both the good and the bad in a way Melpomene is unable to do, but greatly appreciates. She worries over Cosmos, knowing that she's growing tired of the fight. She enjoys talking to Cosmos and being near her, but tries to temper this as she finds herself wishing to become closer, but fears her own particular brand of being might be a bad influence on Cosmos. Despite this, she's always there to listen if Cosmos needs someone to talk to, because Melpomene understands those darker feelings.
  ✩Melpomene sees Cosmos as a prismatic opal-esque color, radiating multiples of colors and shades, regardless of the emotions attached to it. Sometimes the brightness dims, but never goes too dark. Because of this, Melpomene has a much harder time reading how Cosmos is feeling compared to anyone else she's ever met.
  
  
• Thalia: Thalia is Melpomene's partner--has been her partner--for her entire life. They know each other in ways that others might never understand. They have worked, trained, laughed, and suffered before ever meeting the others and that is a bond that will never break. She loves that Thalia is able to make anyone laugh, bringing up morale in the most desperate of times. Melpomene relies on that burst of happiness amongst everything, just as much as she relies on Thalia herself. Thalia is difficult to see a lot of the time but in a way that is different from Euterpe. Whereas Euterpe is invisible, Thalia is dimmed or blurred. Difficult to see unless Melpomene concentrates, as if the dark emotions are there, but obscured. Despite all of this and after years of being together, Melpomene is used to seeking out this strange "not-really-there" color. She is always able to find and sense Thalia, even in the quickness of battle.
  ✩Thalia is a blurred dusky orange color, like the beginnings of a sunrise that gets more like a sunset and dims into the darkest of midnights as Thalia's emotions grow heavy, and the blurry quality becomes even more prominent.
  
  
• Euterpe: Melpomene has never met someone like Euterpe before, never met someone so full of life and joy for every little thing. It did not take long for this bundle of happiness to make her way into Melpomene's heart. She finds it easy to laugh and relax around Euterpe, although at first their interactions were disconcerting as Euterpe was invisible to her unless the other girl was close. After realizing this, it seems Euterpe is often close to her, whether its through rambunctious piggy-backing or simple touches. Having Euterpe so close is a relief, and a blessing as Euterpe is like a breath of fresh air after feeling suffocated for so long. However, Euterpe is very difficult for Melpomene to "see" due to her bright personality and seemingly endless supply of cheer. But Melpomene is okay with that even as it worries her, because that means Euterpe is content and happy, and that brings her peace, but not being able to see someone she cares for so dearly is unsettling at the same time. It saddens her to realize that the only time she truly sees Euterpe is when things are at their worst.
  ✩ When Euterpe bursts into 'sight', it as a kind of dimmed pastel blue color, like the softness of a petal that is beginning to wilt. This wilting quality grows more dead as Euterpe's emotions grow darker.
  
  
• Urania: Although the two of them are not big conversationalists, Melpomene finds Urania to be a comforting presence. Opposite to a lot of the others that Melpomene is close with, Urania is something she understands and appreciates at the same time. For example, although she loves Thalia's brightness and laughter, sometimes she can't understand where such things come from. With Urania, things make more sense, and she appreciates the logical approach that doesn't get mired by emotions one way or the other. When the two of them are left alone together, they don't say much as it is not their way, but they have an uncanny way of understanding and working together without needing to speak.
  ✩ Urania appears a shimmering cobalt, similar to that of a hardened jewel containing a universe of sparkles inside its facets. As Urania's emotions get darker, the cobalt loses its luster, the shimmers going out until it is empty.  
  
  
• Erato: Erato can sometimes be a bit much for Melpomene to contend with. Such passion and sass isn't something she has ever dealt with in her life. But she loves the confidence that Erato brings in everything that she does, and sometimes wishes she could emulate such behavior. She also appreciates the high notes Erato is capable of reaching in her songs. Although they haven't had too much opportunity to grow close, Melpomene adores the fact that Erato has this uncanny ability to help her focus on something as indulgent as fashion or hairstyles, instead of the war going on around them. It's a welcome break for a few minutes, at least.
  ✩ Erato is like the glowing red embers of a once-raging fire. As Erato's emotions become darker, the embers lose their heat and begin to blacken to ash.
  
  
• Calliope: Calliope and Melpomene first bonded over their shared love of singing. They soon found they also shared an interest in history and culture and all the ways they intertwine. Although Melpomene is much quieter than Calliope, they've grown into an easy habit of having Calliope chatter along while the two of them do their own tasks. Melpomene quite enjoys listening to Calliope, finding the constant stream of words comforting and fun to listen to. Whenever Calliope creates a new song, Melpomene is there to help her practice it, often losing theirselves to the song as they sing together for hours.
  ✩ Calliope appears as a rich yellow color, like honey deep in the honeycomb. It grows darker and murkier the worse Calliope's emotions become.
  
  
• Clio: Melpomene never got terribly close to Clio. With Melpomene not being much of a conversationalist, she didn't find much opportunity to talk to Clio. Plus, Clio was the type who needed people to drag her out of her books and help her lighten up from her serious nature, which is something Melpomene does not excel at. She was there, however, to listen whenever Clio felt overwhelmed with the sadness of the histories she loved so much. She also found Clio's vast amount of knowledge fascinating and liked to listen to the different facts she often shared. When Clio died, it happened during a chaotic evacuation, with Clio opting to go back for precious scroll instead of getting to safety. The explosion left nothing but her Sailor Crystal behind. Melpomene mourned the loss of such a dutiful friend, and the fact that so much information was lost at the same time.
  ✩ Melpomene no longer 'sees' Clio.
  
  
• Polyhymnia: Although Melpomene and Polyhymnia had vastly different outlooks on the universe as a whole, Melpomene valued her. She understood that Polyhymnia's faith was important and enjoyed listening to her speak of the light and the love that she so strongly believed in. Melpomene couldn't believe in it in the same way, but she often wished she could. Melpomene tried to keep her own pessimistic views from coloring Polyhymnia's point of view, but sometimes they did clash as Melpomene stood her ground on the darker side of things and Polyhymnia would never give up her faith of the lighter things. Melpomene sometimes believed that Polyhymnia was naive to ignore things so strongly in favor of her faith, even as she also admired the conviction to do so. Still, they found an understanding with one another, and often could confide in one another after everyone else had gone to sleep. Melpomene would share her desires of optimism that she could never truly touch, and Polyhymnia would confess her fears to someone who would not judge her for them nor have the need for her to be a pillar of strength.  When Polyhmnia was killed, the repercussions could be felt all around, harming them all in a myriad of ways. It had been sudden and crippling and they had not been able to do anything about it. Without Polyhymnia, sometimes morale is harder to keep up than it once would have been with her help.
  ✩Melpomene no longer 'sees' Polyhymnia.
  
  
• Terpsichore: Melpomene enjoyed Terpsichore everytime she saw the younger girl. But she was sweet and much younger than herself, and Melpomene specifically kept herself to the outskirts of Terpsichore's bubble. She did not want to taint Terpsichore with her own outlook on things, wishing the sweet girl to be as happy and carefree as she could. She left Terpsichore in the hands of others such as Euterpe and Thalia, but due to Melpomene's close relationship with these two, eventually she did become closer to Terpsichore. The two of them sang together sometimes, duets that made both of them smile. Most of the time, Melpomene is more inspired towards solemn songs, but with Terpsichore she found herself enjoying the more energetic ones as well. If Melpomene were to ever think about it, Terpsichore's death is the one that hurt the most. It hurt a lot of them very dearly, she knew, as she was just one in a long list of sisters. But Terpsichore was so innocent and sweet, and she deserved so much better than what she got as her fate. Melpomene isn't sure she'll ever forgive or forget what happened, and every morning when she wakes up, she sings a small quiet snippet of a song in honor of Terpsichore. The very last song they ever sang together.
  ✩Melpomene no longer 'sees' Terpsichore.
  

Other Noteworthy Facts:

• Poor Eyesight: Although she is not blind, Adra has trouble with her eyesight. Things that are not close-by become blurry, especially if they are moving quickly. She often tends to rely on her enhanced empathy to make up for this.
  

Storyline Specific Information:

Lunar Chronicles, Phase VI:

Source: Largely inspired by Greek Mythology


Senshi Name: Sailor Melpomene, Muse of Tragedy
Realms of Influence: Tragedy, Inevitability, Harmony, Singing
Henshin/Transformation Phrase: Melpomene Cosmos Power, Make Up!
Senshi Fuku:

Powers:

• Pyrrhic Victory: A passive ability. As her allies fall around her (whether knocked out or dead), Melpomene gains a burst of strength, speed, and power. The more damage and death around her, the stronger and longer-lasting the boost becomes. A edge of blackness radiates around her, which grows depending on the strength of the ongoing Pyrrhic Victory.
  
  
• Ilarotragodia: A paired attack with Sailor Thalia. The target is accosted by a miasma of conflicting emotions, one part comedic and one part tragic. This messes with the targets mind, causing them to be lost to insanity for a short while. While under this influence, the target simultaneously laughs and cries as the emotions rage around in their minds.
  
  
• Peripateia Chant: An attack ability. She begins to sing a song made up of quick and short notes, almost rhythmic in their deliver. As the song grows in the strength, these short notes gain form, turning into small pellets of purple-grey energy. They gather around her until she ends the song and releases them in a wide cone-shape range in front of her. She can change the wideness of this cone, making it attack a single target which gets a more concentrated amount of energy pellets, or much wider which spreads out the energy pellets. The wider she makes the attack, the less damage it does.
  
  
• Hamartia Ode: A debuff ability. Melpomene sings a quiet song made of trilling notes that causes a purple-grey outline to encompass a single enemy. This aura stays with them, remnants of the song dancing along their skin in a tickling and promising way. The next time this enemy misses an attack, they themselves take the damage they would have dealt to their enemy.
  
  
• Catharsis Aria: A supportive ability. Melpomene sings a harmonic song, which creates purple-grey tendrils reaching out towards the target. As the tendrils reach the target, they draw out a visible black aura from the target and the tendril grow blacker as they absorb this black aura. The tendrils purge the ally of any fears, doubts, or worries that might be causing them to hesitate in battle. This kind of peacefulness lasts for several rounds before the comforting effects ebbs away, leaving the ally free to all emotions once more. Throughout the duration of this, due to her hindered sight, Catharsis Aria effectively makes the ally 'invisible' to Melpomene. She is not capable of using this upon herself.
  
  
• Exode Chorus: An attack ability. Melpomene's most powerful skill, she begins to sing, the tones slow and drawn out, but sharp and eery in their quality. She draws power from the song which becomes stronger the more fear and pain she emphatically senses. This power coalesces into a pulsing dark ball of inky black smoke in her hands. The size of this orb of blackness grows in size parallel to its strength. She sends this orb at an enemy, doing large amounts of damage. After using this skill, Melpomene must take a round of rest to recuperate.
  
  

Weapons or Magical Items:

• Mask of Tragedy: A dark purple-grey mask unadorned with anything but a deep-set frowning face. These features are pitch black, and seem to absorb any and all light. Upon donning this mask, Sailor Melpomene makes up to three targets caught in an area in front of her look within and see their worst fears or worst memory. Something that makes them remember some terrible thing they've had a hand in, or could have a hand in, and makes them feel the fear and pity in it all. The viewer becomes debilitated for a few rounds before being able to shake off the fear and regret.
  ✩While wearing the Mask of Tragedy, Melpomene's empathy towards the one-to-three targets is heightened, making her feel their fear and regret more strongly than she would have normally.
  
• Chthonic Cudgel: A club weapon Melpomene creates by singing one singular note, conjuring this inky black weapon into existence. As soon as she drops it, it falls and disperses into smoke. It gets thicker towards the head of the weapon; the handle is thinner and wrapped in purple-grey ivy-like vines.
  

Guardian: N/A

RP Sample:

She could feel them. All of them. Their colors did not shine, not as such, but they caught her attention all the same. Their sorrow and their grief. Anger. Despair. Hopelessness. All of it pulled at her. Down, down, down.

Her own emotions cried out in their multiplied anguish.

None of it hurt as much as knowing the precise brand of agony each and every one of her sisters currently felt in this very moment.

None of it hurt so much as it did knowing there was nothing she could do to help any of them.

Death was an inevitability of life. To believe that you could conquer its steady hold was to believe in the impossible. Adrasteia knew this. Knew it to the bottom of her very being. Death always came for what it was owed. One way or another.

But Terpsichore's death shouldn't have happened. Not now, not yet. She was too young. Too pure. Too sweet. How could Death come for her already? She had been protected and safe. But accidents happened in the battlefield. That, too, was an inevitability.

The muted colors glittered before her, waves of despair in their wake. Dimmed. Dead. Even darling Meela was not exempt to her sight. The colors were so dark and heavy, Adra couldn't bear to look at them but even closing her eyes gave no reprieve. Those colors were inside her head. Inside her heart.

And there was no escaping their exaction.

The words of a song came then, the only distraction she could think to use. The softly sung notes warbled, uncertain in their existence. She remembered Terpsichore teaching her this song. The last they'd sung together. It had sounded beautiful then, with Terpsichore's soprano voice adding to its life. Upbeat. Happy. Hopeful.

Now, it hung heavy in the air. Solemn and melancholic. It held the same quality of all Adra's songs. Her heart simply could not bring that brightness to anything without the help of others.

But she sang it all the same. It helped quell the anguish while focusing on those notes. To remember the smiling face of small Terpsichore, and the innocent way she'd looked up to every single one of her sisters. She could almost forget the sorrow and utter sense of loss currently attacking her every sense. She could almost forget the agony her sisters currently fought against.

Almost.

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