[attr="class","app-ban"]

15

NONBINARY (AMAB)

DEMISEXUAL

SOPHMORE

ash blond

olive green/hazel heterochromia

5'3ft (160cm)

frail

androgynous, elegant

original character (art by snowpuff, knightingale)

From a young age, Kestrel has been highly compassionate, deeply allocentric and focused on those around them. It's made them very capable of putting themself in other people's shoes, and their habit of doing so has made them blunt and cautious in turns. As a highly anxious individual, Kitt keeps a handle on their emotions by being methodical and reserved, a poker face developed under the frighteningly stark lights of the hospital. They tend to withdraw into themself upon prolonged exposure to stress, but even on their worst days, the most damning thing they've ever been called is dramatic; all their worst moods are aimed inward at themself, and they rarely lash out at others. Most of all, they are self-conscious of the burden they have been up until this point.

[break][break]Kestrel's grandparents always brag about how clever they are, usually finding a quick and easy solution to any number of problems when the older pair are stumped. Gran and Papa Combs are also frequently impressed by Kitt's skillfull and imaginative use of all the lessons they've given in various crafts over the years, always encouraging their studious spirit. In the same breath, they lament how disorganized their grandchild is; Kitt's chaotic method of madness makes no sense to the elderly Combs couple. Though Kitt is clearly dedicated and entirely earnest in their academic drive, they are also well-known to be single-minded at times--particularly when focused on a project or something that sparks their passionate nature--and entirely willful, a kind of rebellion now that they are less dependent on the adults around them even if it never crosses the line into outright disrespect.

[break][break]Even now that they've been discharged from the hospital, Kestrel is unhealthy, constitution and mental state both suspended in a delicate balance. The years spent far too aware of death at too young an age has left them melancholic and highly superstitious to this day. They tend to fall into a solemn air whenever they become thoughtful, expression tending to relax out of a smile into something that usually reads as sadness to those around them even if that isn't what they currently, actively feel. Fortunately, Kitt has been taught well, and they are articulate when trying to express themself, so they can safeguard against miscommunication.

[break][break]The lingering effects of their hospitalization remain with them in a variety of ways. On some days, they are particularly brittle about it, prone to long bouts of silence and ignoring those around them. They are more obviously forgetful, and the spontaneous impulses that seize them are more often negative. On other days, they become hypersensitive, snapping without meaning to and highly emotional. Noncommittal about previously made plans and irreverent even when confronted with things they usually care for, these latter days can be particularly hard. Generally, they prefer to remain placid in front of others, even giving off a prim impression when trying to correct themself after such days.

[break][break]Fortunately, good things came from this early experience as well. Kestrel is generally more conscientious than they used to be, tolerant of the differences of others and insightful when communicating with new people. They were already gentle and loyal by nature, but it is likely the hospital who taught them how to be resourceful and observant as well. Unfortunately, the doctors also transmitted their perfectionist tendencies, and without the years of education to bolster their confidence or a particularly watchful guardian to help prevent it, Kitt turned out indecisive and contradictory because of it.

[break][break]Among their peers, Kestrel has a reputation for being reliable, and many have commented in their hearing that they are quite stylish, which they take as a compliment. However, they are also known to be intense to deal with. While fellow adventurous youths would find a steadfast friend in Kitt, people have been warned away due to their obsessive tendencies in the past. It doesn't hurt Kestrel's feelings at all, definitely not. More than anything, they pride themself on being adaptable.

✎ Ceramic Casting - Though Kitt doesn't have the time or materials to do so themself, they are fascinated by casting moulds for ceramic sculptures. They tend to follow a lot of artists who paint such casts to sell, and love to attend workshops where you can paint something they've cast and have them fire it for you to send home. Kitt has a small shelf of diligently painted sculptures they've done in recent years and chosen to display in their dorm room, though their grandparents keep several more for them from over the years at home.
[break][break]✎ Doll Clothes - Kitt's passion for fashion started with designing clothes for their dolls, and evolved from there. Nonetheless, the challenge of putting the level of care and detail they want into something on such a small scale still greatly appeals to them. They have several dolls in particular that they brought with them to school, though they keep them stowed rather than displayed unless currently working on a project. Ostensibly, the largest of them is for school work, a 60cm vinyl fashion doll that they heard some programs used for prototyping and begged for a few years ago.
[break][break]✎ Sketching - Mostly something they picked up in the hospital, drawing fun characters or scenes for the other children, though now they use it to begin outfit designs or convey general ideas. Kitt always has a sketchbook on them; sometimes they'll sit to the side and draw what they observe, but more often than not it is scenes from various stories or media that end up making it onto the page, and they only practice from real life when they are begging someone to help with a particularly tricky pose.
[break][break]✎ Free - An Eastern historical fantasy mmorpg that touts a wide variety of skills and classes, allowing players to do anything they wish from hunting, fishing and fighting to cooking, farming and interior decoration, just to name some of the most popular options. In addition to a robust and immersive storyline and a thriving PVP community, Free boasts AI-driven NPC interactions and a relationship/reputation system that adds even further nuance and depth to the game. You can put thousands of hours into Free and still never see everything. Kitt spends most of their time in the game following Beast Master quests, exploring the game world to find various monsters and, rather than fighting them, observing their behaviors and investigating their habitat. They've built their own ranch where a variety of creatures can be tamed and brought back into custom-built habitats after the bestiary entry is sufficiently filled. In order to sustain their menagerie, Kitt also has a thriving farm, and regularly experiments in the cooking system with the left-overs after their beasts are taken care of.

esthetics

fashion design

⚠ dressage

adventure club

n/a

divorce, child neglect, hospitalization of a child/extended hospital stay

The Combs family has been reasonably wealthy since the 1750s, a merchant family working in the shadow of the East India Trading Company. As they grew and gained a title and notoriety in that age, however, they proved themselves a different stock, taking a firm stance of noblesse oblige from the beginning. Members of the family may be born or adopted in with equal likelihood, and after so long with this policy in place it's not clear if any of them have the original Combs blood at all, which has reduced their status in formerly-aristocratic circles, though they don't quite fall into the category of 'new money.' In this day and age, they're just another of those oh-right-they've-been-here-a-while families, with a reputation for being upright sticks-in-the-mud as far as their business partners are concerned. They run a number of charities attached to social welfare for various groups, carefully managing their money to do the most good without endangering their ability to continue doing good in the future.

[break][break]Gerald Talon Combs has been the head of Combs Co. for sixty years, though he's retired now to allow his eldest son Dean Winfield Combs to take over. He has three other biological children with his wife Henrietta, and two adopted; all grown with families of their own, though his youngest son, Dyson Finnley Combs, was found to be an unfit parent. Currently in jail, Gerald and Henrietta are raising his child, Kestrel. Born on August 16th, Kestrel--nicknamed Kitt from a very young age--is the youngest of all the Combs grandchildren in their generation.

Dyson and his wife Eloise were never really happy, tied together by a youthful mistake and Dyson's determination to prove himself to his father despite an exceedingly poor character. Kitt's earliest memories are filled with shouting and their mother's tears, a general air of walking on eggshells permeating everything. The only relief from the oppressive atmosphere of their home was school, and while they didn't particularly enjoy being surrounded by their peers, Kestrel found that they thrived under the care of different adults. They were often the teacher's pet, overly attached and unwilling to go home at the end of the day. Many of these teachers called it 'cute'; few ever realized the underlying issue.

[break][break]When Kitt was seven, their mother disappeared. The envelope she left behind had divorce papers and the number of her attorney, and Kestrel got to watch for several weeks as their father lost his mind. He was neglectful during that time, and even failed to either take them to school or call them in from it, which resulted in outside interference before any permanent damage could be done. The same could not be said for Dyson, who had evidence for a number of other crimes hidden away in the house. When CPS showed up to check on Kitt and had to call in back-up from the police to gain entry, they found a veritable goldmine--enough to put the man away for life.

[break][break]Eloise never got over her post-partum depression, and had no attachment to her child, though she did feel guilty when she realized the consequences her actions had had for them. Fortunately, the Combs family was close-knit other than Dyson, and they were willing to take Kestrel in before she could sign all her parenting rights away and put them up for adoption. After a few brief visits with each of their aunts and uncles, Kitt ended up in their Uncle Dean's house with their two oldest cousins.

Even before their parents divorced, Kestrel displayed regular signs of illness. Chronic fatigue and daily complaints of pain in their joints combined with the difficulty of putting or keeping on weight concerned all their school nurses and doctors, although a diagnosis was difficult to determine. They started to develop shortness of breath and a dry, hacking cough right before their mother left; these new symptoms were attributed to Dyson's neglect initially, since he didn't take them to the doctor in the interim. Afterward though, Uncle Dean took care to get them checked out and watched closely for signs of asthma. Under the family's cautious eye, Kitt's confidance began to blossom.

[break][break]It couldn't last, however; within the first six months of living with Uncle Dean, there came a day when Kitt woke up more irritable and drowsy than usual. The struggle to keep them awake long enough to get into the car was an exercise in frustration and concern, and on the way to school they fell unconscious and didn't wake up. The family detoured to the hospital, where it was discovered that Kestrel had somehow contracted meningitis. Careful tests revealed it was not a bacterial infection, but a build-up of inflammatory cells attributed to a deeper autoimmune issue known as sarcoidosis. With the swelling in their meninges being only the klaxon that brought attention to the other pockets of these cells throughout their body, Kitt was admitted for inpatient treatment. The condition presented aggressively, and the stay stretched from days into weeks into years, with their lungs and gastrointestinal tract affected but most of the issues presenting in their nervous and lymphatic systems.

[break][break]From the age of almost-eight to fourteen, Kitt lived in the hospital. While things were never dire enough that the doctors worried they would die, the necessity of constant monitoring and repeated instances of new issues cropping up whenever they tried to go home caged in their opportunities. Uncle Dean, with the company to run on top of the rest of the family, wasn't able to come and spend time with them in the hospital as often as he'd like, so Kestrel was treated to frequent visits from Granny Henri and Papa Gerald, who became greater guardian figures in their life by simple virtue of having more free time. The other children in the hospital ward and many of the visitors they encountered were generally unhappy enough that Kitt tried their best to be a friendly light for them, learning to suppress and hide their own issues to make everyone else feel better.

Years of steady treatment, balancing medications, restructuring diets and cautiously planned exercise routines eventually gave Kitt the necessary tools to keep the symptoms of their condition under control. Despite all these efforts, it seemed a simple result of aging in the end that brought the frequency of their chronic meningitis episodes down. Around their fourteenth birthday, they were permitted to stay for their first prolonged visit with their grandparents, a full two weeks outside the hospital walls for the first time in years. One visit became three became moving in, thrilled and terrified in equal measure to be thrown into the outside world. For the proceeding months, they mostly stayed home despite revelling in their various newfound freedoms.

[break][break]Papa Gerald attended Panacea Academy in his youth, and the house he'd retired to with his wife was close enough that occasional visits before curfew and on weekends wouldn't be unreasonable to accomplish. When he saw Kitt retreating into themself despite all the signs they'd given over the years of needing social connection, he made the ruthlessly practical decision to send them off to boarding school before the fear dug in too deep. Even babies swim when you throw them in the deep end, right?

snowpuff

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[break]Activity level fluctuates based on my health & schedule, as I am disabled though I do work from home. I do my best to keep folks updated!

generally willing to touch on any number of topics with sufficient forewarning, but those that I need a particular warning for before discussing are: SA, child & animal abuse, drug use, deep water/drowning, and gaslighting.