( poisoned hearts )

NAME !

rhea drakos

STATUS !

youngest princess

AGE !

twenty-two

GENDER !

female

SEXUALITY !

bisexual

VILLAIN !

dr. facilier

FACE CLAIM !

diana silvers

SIDEKICK !

pippy is a sentient voodoo doll about the size of an average person's palm. with big button eyes and a disproportionately large head for its body, it's actually pretty cute — at least, as cute as a voodoo doll be. it can't speak, but it's an oddly ... loving creature. it expresses affection by latching onto people, and it can often be seen clinging to rhea's foot or sitting inside the hood of her cloak. pippy also adores music, and if you stay at the palace for long enough, you're bound to eventually see it dancing around the halls. be careful not to touch its pins; pippy is sensitive about its appearance and only rhea is trusted enough to give it a makeover every so often.

POWERS !

rhea is an avid practitioner of voodoo magic, but don't worry; she's not going around manifesting people's deaths or anything (usually). contrary to popular belief, there's more to voodoo than wishing harm. think of it more like strong persuasion. she can help you with anything from love-related woes (getting a certain someone to see you in a certain light) to revenge in the form of utter humiliation (what if your enemy happened to just forget their words during a very important speech?). all she needs is a sentimental object connected to the person in question or related to the general goal. one important caveat is that rhea cannot use this magic for selfish purposes; she can only fulfil others' wishes.

additionally, rhea has limited psychic abilities. she can see glimpses of the future voluntarily, like when reading someone's fortune, and will also occasionally have involuntary fainting spells when she sees what's to come. it's never the full picture and it's often misleading. fate's tricky like that.

lastly, she's something of an illusionist. as in, she has the power to create mirages — objects or situations that appear to be real, but will fall apart if you look too closely. this combined with her psychic powers allows her to let others get a glimpse of their own future (through a vision she conjures), usually using magical tarot cards. this was a great power for the imaginative child rhea always was; she created visions of her dream world in her very own bedroom, and would be entertained for hours.

PERSONALITY !

rhea is creative and imaginative with lofty ideals. she dreams big, and while she won't be the crowned royal, she hopes to make a difference in the world. whether her impact is positive or negative is yet to be determined.

upon first impression, rhea is polite, charismatic, and awkwardly loveable. but there's a lot more than meets the eye — namely, a cunning woman with a somewhat vindictive personality. talk about a wolf in sheep's clothing. she is persuasive, even without her voodoo, and growing up, she was also a bit sadistic. her powers are perfect tools for manipulation, and admittedly, she took advantage of that in her teen years. she doesn't do so as much anymore, but the feeling of power is one that's hard to forget ... so, yes, that version of herself is still buried in there, and not buried very deep.

despite the drawbacks to her personality, one redeemable quality she has is her empathy, particularly for people who didn't grow up as privileged as she did. she cares deeply about the palace staff who raised her, has never mistreated them, and would probably wish some very bad things upon anyone who did. (her dad may or may not have been the victim of some stubbed toes and endless hiccupping fits for this very reason.) additionally, in a family full of short-tempered individuals, it's a wonder that rhea is actually somewhat patient and calm. she keeps a level head in tense situation, though it's easy for her to feel overwhelmed.

lastly, rhea can be quite aloof around those she's comfortable with, often muttering things under her breath and blurting things out with barely a thought. constant visions of the future is a lot for one girl to bear and it takes a toll! she's also fiercely enthusiastic about her ~witchy things~, and her bedroom is full of candles, crystals, tarot cards, and (of course) voodoo dolls. it's her haven.

BRIEF BACKSTORY !

rhea is the youngest member of the royal family. growing up with twin siblings who are four years older than her, she's always known that they'll probably be more close with each other than they are with her. while she still has a very special bond with atlas and melione, this has led to a childhood also full of independence and pursuing her hobbies. she's not the heir, so she has always been free to hide away in her room with her tarot cards and crystals. free from the burden of going to meetings about the kingdom's future, rhea's spent her time wandering every inch of the castle. she knows it like the back of her hand, including all the secret tunnels and corridors, and can easily get from place to place unnoticed. with her father and siblings busy with duties, rhea also grew to be quite close to the royal staff, who were often designated as her caretakers. she considers them family, and it is very important to her that people treat them well.

THOUGHTS ON THE SELECTION !

rhea's always been a little wary of the heroes — a result of her upbringing, though she's trying to shake it in the interest of unity and all that. regardless, she's looking forward to the selection with cautious optimism and a sliver of hope for her siblings. their father is the one who orchestrated all this, but who knows? maybe they actually will find love. despite being the youngest, she feels protective of atlas and melione, so she's prepared to pay a whole lot of attention to the selected. they better be on their best behavior, because rhea's kind of known for lurking in the shadows.