The same but different.

So, these two were meant to be twins, but they ended up with completely different face-ups, both of which I love, and therefore I am loathe to get either one redone.

Anyhow, they are still going to be twins, I just tweaked their background story a bit to suit their differences. Our new arrival, the SWD Nana has a name now. She is going to be called Yuuko, written with the characters for "evening" and "child", which is the exact opposite of Asako's "morning child".

Yuuko (left) and Asako (right). Their names mean "Evening Child" and "Morning Child". They are twins, but different in almost every way. Their mother is a half human-half divine, and while one twin inherited all their mother's divinity, the other ended up human in every way. Despite that, they have that connection between them that only twins have, and adore each other very much.

Wew, it's a crowd!

I'm thinking I should write a short introduction about all these girls...so here goes!

From left to right:

Name: Usagiko Tsukika "Kiki"

Sculpt: Volks Yo-sd SWD White Rabbit

Face-up: propertyoftheuchiha

Age: 8
Race: N/A (Rabbit in Hume form)

Relatives: Unknown.

Personality: Timid, but loyal and caring towards those she loves.

Likes: Carrots, her mistress Elune and sleeping.

Dislikes: Having to talk to strangers and being woken up for no good reason.

Name: Hanahime Asako "Sasa"

Sculpt: Volks Yo-sd Megu

Face-up: Allemarthe

Age: 8 
Race: Three quarters Vani and a quarter Hume (from mother)

Relatives: Morning (mother), Cloud (father), Eden (younger sister)

Personality: Sweet, but serious. Very motherly for her age. Worries constantly about others. Very protective of Eden.

Likes: Taking care of others, Eden, fairies and butterflies.

Dislikes: Causing trouble for others, and being unable to help those in need.

Name:  Kazehiko Hiyori

Sculpt: Volks Yo-tenshi Syo/Show

Face-up: Volks Default

Age: 6
Race: Vani

Relatives: Meron (older sister), Ichigo (older sister), Elune (mother), Cloud (father)

Personality: Sweet and shy, gets lost easily

Likes: Fluffy, cute things

Dislikes: Having to talk to strangers.

Name: Inoue Kiyomi

Sculpt: Volks Yo-tenshi Tsugumi

Face-up: Volks Default

Age: 5
Race: Vani

Relatives: Cloud (adoptive brother)

Personality: Somewhat pampered, but also sweet and charming.

Likes: Attention, cotton candy, ice cream, cakes and herself.

Dislikes: Not being the center of attention.

Name: Sachi Faye

Sculpt: Volks Yo-tenshi Hinata

Face-up: Default

Age: 8
Race: Hume

Relatives: Ducky (adoptive older sister)

Personality: Positive, caring, likes to encourage and motivate others.

Likes: Big sister Ducky, making people smile, sunshine and balloons.

Dislikes: Seeing people upset.

Name: Kazehiko Melusine Jr. "Meron"

Sculpt: Volks Yo-tenshi Ken Girl

Face-up: Allemarthe

Age: 7
Race: Vani

Relatives: Elune (mother), Cloud (father), Hiyori (younger sister), Ichigo (younger twin sister)

Personality: Adventurous, happy-go-lucky.

Likes: Her twin Ichigo, rainbows, red color, swimming and playing dress-up.

Dislikes: Being the same as everybody else.

Name: Kazehiko Ichigo

Sculpt: Volks Yo-tenshi Yuki

Face-up: Paper Plate Aesthetics

Age: 7
Race: Vani

Relatives: Elune (mother), Cloud (father), Meron (older twin sister), Hiyori (younger sister)

Personality: Bubbly and cheerful. Always has a smile on her face.

Likes: Pastel colors, cake and lollipops.

Dislikes: Nothing in particular.

Name: Hanahime Akari "Eden" 

Sculpt: Volks Yo-sd Eddie

Face-up: lightlybattered

Age: 5
Race: Three quarters Vani and a quarter Hume (from mother)

Relatives: Morning (mother), Cloud (father), Asako (elder sister)

Personality: Tomboyish. Often reckless and fond of trying new things.

Likes: Big sister Asako, best friend Chibi, playing outdoors (especially climbing trees), dressing up as a boy.

Dislikes: People telling her what to do (unless it's her big sister), frilly dresses. 

Name: Miharu Chisaki "Chibi"

Sculpt: Volks Yo-sd Lin

Face-up: Rabiruna

Age: 126 (which is fairly young for a Dryr)
Race: Dryr

Relatives: Unknown.

Personality: Very shy and reticent. She is slow when doing things because she comes from a race with a very long lifespan. She also does not like to speak unless absolutely necessary, and tends to avoid contact with others, other than Eden.

Likes: Quietness, Eden, all kinds of plants and putting flowers in her hair. 

Dislikes: Speaking, loud noises, people who cause harm to plants and people who are mean to Eden.

Note: Read more about the different races here.

Resident Lovers of the Chateau Miyana.

Resident lovers...

Morning and Cloud.

Cloud grew up together with the sisters Morning and Elune, and has always been in love with Morning, who reciprocated his feelings. The two have been inseparable since young, doing everything together, with the much younger Elune tagging along most times. Unfortunately, circumstances caused Cloud to end up betrothed to Elune. Although the two lovers tried to stay apart from each other, in the end it proved futile.

Husband and Wife...

Elune and Cloud.

Elune, the little sister of Morning, ended up taking the mantle of Empress of the realms when she was just 16. Two years later, the council of Navi finally settled upon a suitable husband for her, someone who people would willingly recognize as the Empress' consort. This person was Cloud. Although Cloud loved her sister deeply, he put aside the relationship to heed the call of duty. Their marriage was a peaceful one, and they even produced the much anticipated heir... but Cloud never stopped longing for Morning, and Elune too, had her own secrets.

 Secretly more than friends...

Elune and Dante.

Assuming regency of the realms at a very young age, Elune coped with the demands of her role by sometimes escaping into the wilderness at the borders the Hume realm in disguise. During one of these escapades, she met a young Hume man named Dante. They fell in love with each other, and they promised to meet up at the same place and the same time every week. These secret meetings carried on for a year, but unfortunately came to an end when it was decided that Elune was to be married to Cloud. It was at this point that Dante finally learned the true identity mysterious girl he was in love with. Unable to return to a life without Elune, but also unable to remain close to her, Dante began to live on the border between their two realms, where the two of them first met. Elune too, despite being trapped by the confines of her duty, continued to love and pine for Dante.

The Various Races of The Continent

The Vani (or Navia Vani) - They are the highest form of being (the ruling class) in the Continent, akin to heavenly beings. All races are descended from the Vani. Many of them hold positions within the the Council of Nav (the Navi), the spiritual governing body within the continent. These include Elune with her control over the oceans and seas, Morning with her dominance over the skies and Morianna with her hold over the forests.

The Aori (or Aori Vani) - The lower caste branch of the Vani, they often intermarry with the ruling Navia branch. They have weather-related abilities, although the less powerful may only be able to do something basic like causing rain to fall on the spot where they are standing. Most of the Aori only have affinity with a single element, eg. Wind, rain or snow (a notable exception being Cloud, who is able to control all forms of weather). They generally like to live in places of high altitude, like at the top of the highest mountain peaks.

The Dryr - Forest-dwelling spirits with a deep affinity to the plants they live with. They have extremely long life-spans. The three most powerful of the present Dryr are the trio of Morianna (trees), Kaibara (flowers) and Yukina (farmlands and crops), each with their own dominion.

The Meru - Water-dwelling spirits, they can be found in varying sizes in different bodies of water.

The Ilfi - Cave-dwelling spirits, they love rocky areas and generally live up in the highest cliffs. They are relatively small sizes, thus able to fit into little crevasses in the rock walls. Their hearing is not very good, but they can sense movement by the vibrations coming through the rock.

The Fler - Minuscule spirits with weak magical power. Some even have wings and are able to fly short distances. They are generally kept as magical companions by the Vani.

The Hume (known as Humans on the 'Other side') - Non-spirit creatures, they have no magical ability whatsoever. (Except in a few notable cases, like Morning).

The Qree - A very tiny sky-dwelling species. They are so light that they make their homes on the tops of clouds.

The Lych - They are almost indistinguishable from the Hume, except for their paler skin tone. They have some latent magical ability, but it is almost non-existent. The Lych are different from the rest in that they feed off the bodily fluids of the other species to survive, and their own bodily fluids are toxic to all other races (except in a few notable cases).

The Vyen - A mysterious underground-living species. Little is known about them, except that they have great magical ability. They seldom associated with the other races before, but recently, many of them have been coming to the surface in search of something.

About Mio

Name: Mio Murasaki (美桜 紫)

Age: 15
Gender: Female
Race: Human


Title: None
Faction: None

Family: Rinka (Younger Sister)

Before her younger sister was born, Mio's family lived on the edge of a forest, where, unbeknownst to many, lived a group of dryads. One day Mio wandered into the forest and met Kai, and the two of them quickly became playmates and best friends. However, a few years later Mio's parents suddenly divorced, and her mother remarried and moved to live in another city with her new husband, taking Mio with her. After the death of her mother and step-father in an unfortunate accident, learning that her father had disappeared after her mother had moved, and having no one left to turn to, Mio took her little sister and returned to the forest again to look for Kai. When Kai left the forest to follow her half-sister Mori to the Chateau Miyana, she left without telling Mio, not wanting the human girl to follow her, and get caught up in the struggles of the non-human world. But Mio, steadfast in her resolution never to separate from Kai again, took her sister and left to follow Kai. After searching stubbornly for nearly a year, she finally finds her way to the Chateau's doorstep.

Mio is actually a very independent girl because of her past, and she provides for both herself and her sister by secretly working as a model and actress. Mio has two distinct personalities, an normal schoolgirl personality and an idol personality that comes out when she is working. Because of this, she has successfully managed to hide her real identity from her many fans, who would never imagine her to be such a different person when she is not performing.

One flew in from the east and one from the west...

I now have TWO new comers to the fray instead of the planned ONE.

The first one came in all the way from Spain. I finished my layaway for her just before I left for Japan. She is a Hypermaniac Myo Seryo, and presently her name is Rinka...but it's not sticking to her very well, and I probably will end up changing it once she gets around to telling me her name.

I never had experience with Hypermaniac dollies before, and nobody in the local dolly community seems to even have one. She is a fairly odd little one, with her frowny face. But I think she's rather cute that way...lots of attitude to go around. She ended up being a lot slimmer and lighter than I imagined. I watched a couple of box opening videos for her sculpt, and many people mentioned that she was "a tiny little thing", but it didn't really strike me until I actually picked her up. She IS TINY. Even more so than my Soomlings.

The one thing I can't stand about her though, is that she is really TERRIBLE at posing. Really terrible. It took me at least 10 minutes to get her to sit for this photo...no kidding. I even failed the first time I tried, until I looked at Hypermaniac's facebook page, where I found some hints on how to sit them down. But, what is even worse than sitting....Standing. She can't stand. Her knees keep bending outwards and refuse to straighten no matter what I do.

Despite all this, she's full of personality and I think I will probably keep her around.

The next addition flew back with me from Japan. I visited the Volks Sumika-no-tenshi in Harajuku, and ended up taking home one of the Coordinate Models on display there. This is my newest girl, Volks MSD F-06, and her name is Mio (which means Beautiful Cherry Blossom, because I got her during Sakura season). Generally I dislike Volks' default face-ups, but I think this one is not too bad, so I might just keep it. She came with the outfit and also a Volks wig....my first experience with a Volks wig...and I find it to have a strange...oily sort of texture.

Anyhow, these two have officially become part of Chateau Miyana's story as sisters. Their story is as follows:

Before her younger sister was born, Mio's family lived on the edge of the forest. One day Mio wandered into the forest and met Kai, and the two of them became playmates and best friends. However, a few years later Mio's parents suddenly divorced, and her mother remarried and moved to live in another city with her new husband, taking Mio with her. After the death of her mother and step-father in an unfortunate accident, learning that her father had disappeared after her mother had moved, and having no one left to turn to, Mio took her little sister and returned to the forest again to look for Kai. When Kai left the forest to follow her half-sister Mori to the Chateau Miyana, she left without telling Mio, not wanting the human girl to follow her, and get caught up in the struggles of the non-human world. But Mio, steadfast in her resolution never to separate from Kai again, took her sister and left to follow Kai. After searching stubbornly for nearly a year, she finally finds her way to the Chateau's doorstep.

Background

About the Chateau Miyana:

The Chateau is an old house built on the border between the Hume and the Vani realms, as such, both Hume and Vani are able to see it and interact with one another within its walls. Somehow, all the participants presently locked in the struggle for the succession to the throne of the Navi have concurrently found their way to the Chateau, where the current Empress of the Navi lies asleep. Here, a quiet battle is being fought between two queens for complete dominance.

The occupants of the Chateau are split into separate factions:


Hoshi no Miya (Sacred House of Stars)
Those who pledge loyalty only to the sleeping empress, Elune, and consider themselves neutral in the feud between the Hikari no Miya and the Hana no Miya.

Hanahime Melusine "Elune" - Elune is the Navi of all oceans and seas and was the successor chosen by the previous ruler, despite her being the youngest of the sisters, as she is a pureblood Vani. However, a chain of unfortunate events triggered an ancient curse that sent Elune's mind into an endless dream, and leaves her consort Cloud unable to sleep. She shares the same father as Morning and Morianna. Before it was arranged for Elune to marry Cloud, she was seeing a Hume man called Dante, whom she was very much in love with. Eventually, putting her duty as Empress first, she sent Dante away and married the man to whom she was betrothed.

Kazehiko Kumo "Cloud" - Better known to his friends and family as Cloud, he is one of the Tempesto (Leaders) of the Aori, a race that can exert control over the weather. His power and status rose when he married the successor to the throne, Elune, in an arranged marriage; and he was also inducted into the council of Navi. Unfortunately, Cloud had long loved Elune's sister Morning. Their inability to stop loving one another eventually caused a chain of events that led to Cloud and Elune being cursed. Cloud is cursed with the inability to fall asleep, and with every passing day, his body weakens, much to Morning's distress. Despite his condition, he professes to Morning that he has no regrets about what happened between them. They eventually get married in secret, despite Cloud still being married to Elune.

Usagiko Tsukika "Kiki" - Elune's most trusted companion and servant. Tsukika was a rabbit that someone had tried to abandon by drowning her in a river. Subsequently, she was saved by Elune, and her devotion to Elune was so unwavering that upon her ascending the throne, Tsukika was granted a human form. Tsukika followed her mistress to the Chateau, which became Elune's resting place, after the activation of the curse. She continues to watch over her mistress, even though, without Elune's power she is having difficulty holding on to her present form. Because it takes up so much energy for her to remain in her human form, she spends most of her time dozing off.

Kazehiko Meron, Kazehiko Ichigo and Kazehiko Hiyori -  Elune and Yuki's three children. Meron and Ichigo were very young when they came to the Chateau, and Hiyori was born there before their mother fell victim to the curse, and as such, they have little knowledge of the world outside. Because Kiki is the only person they are familiar with, she is their best friend, caretaker and playmate all rolled into one. Unbeknownst to many, Meron and Ichigo were actually adopted as newborns for fear that Elune may not be able to produce the desired heir. However, Hiyori was born a few years later.


Hikari no Miya (Sacred House of Light)
Headed by Morning (Kagayaku kōgō) and includes her two daughters: the gentle Asako and tomboy Akari. 

Hanahime Asa "Morning" - Morning is the Navi of the sky, she is also Elune's half-sister and  Cloud's beloved. She loves Cloud very much but constantly feels guilt at betraying her sister. After she and Yuki unknowingly triggered the ancient curse, she is convinced that by taking over Elune's position as ruler, she can somehow break the curse, hence she and Mori began their fight for the throne. She followed Cloud to the Chateau in search of her sister Elune. She has half Hume and half Vani blood. As it has become common knowledge that she was involved with Cloud, there are those who feel that she is unfit to take her sister's place. She becomes Cloud's second wife after they married in secret even though he is still married to Elune. She possesses a guardian spirit (that can only be summoned by a highly skilled Navi) called Fuyumi.

Hanahime Asako "Sasa", Hanahime Akari "Eden"- Morning's two children, they are extremely intelligent and precocious, far beyond their years. Morning has never mentioned who their father is, but speculation is rife that Cloud is the one. Sasa is a splitting image of Morning, but Eden bears more of a resemblance to Cloud. 

Fuyumi - Morning's guardian spirit. She was created by combining a great amount of magic with a part of Morning's feelings, hence her personality is exactly the same as Morning's. Morning uses her to monitor the various happenings in the Chateau. 


Hana no Miya (Sacred House of Flowers) - Dissolved
Led by Morning's older sister Morianna (Ibara no kōgō), and her second-in-command, Kaibara (Yachū no bara). 

Hanahime Morianna "Mori" (No longer around) - The oldest sister, Mori was the Navi of the lands and forests. She is unique hybrid of Dryr and Lych. Originally half dryad and half Vani, she somehow managed to get turned by a Lych. Although pureblood Vani perish instantly upon contact with Lych venom, Mori was able to survive, although with great sacrifice. As her Vani half struggled with the venom, her body began to degenerate. She eventually lost both her sight and her sense of smell, but her other senses became heightened. Being a hybrid, she has the physical characteristics and a combination of the powers of both races. Mori has the ability to command trees to do her bidding, and is the most powerful of all the Dryr. She was led to the Chateau in search of the two most precious treasures of the Dryr, the "Sleeping Lily" and the "Dreaming Lily". Her reasons for choosing to challenge Morning for Elune's vacated throne are presently unknown. Her candidacy for the throne was rejected by those who deem her ineligible for the post on the grounds that she no longer carries any Vani blood within her. Mori disappeared one day without a trace, leaving many to speculate whether she succumbed to her curse.

Kagome Kaibara "Kai" (No longer around) - Kai is Mori's right hand and her most trusted subordinate. Kai is a pureblood Dryr who shares the same mother as Mori. Kai has the ability to manipulate small plants, and she uses her favorite, the rose, to carry out her bidding. When Mori disappeared, Kai left the Chateau and returned to the deep wilderness in the lands of the Dryr, refusing to participate further in the battle for the throne.


Haru no Miya (Sacred House of Spring)
A new third faction that only emerged recently in the competition for the throne, after the dissolution of the Hana no Miya.

Meliana "Ducky" Faye - A mysterious Hume woman who appeared at the Chateau with her sister just after the disappearance of Mori, leaving many to wonder whether the two events are linked. Although a Hume, with no apparently Vani blood, the fact that she too came to the Chateau, may mean that she has a stake on Elune's vacated throne. However, at this point, whatever claim she has to the throne is completely unknown. In spite of her race, she is also a formidable magician, her ability can rival even that of Morning. She possesses a powerful guardian spirit, something that only the most skilled of the Navi can summon. She also holds one of the Aori's ancient treasures, the "Peacock", but it is not known as to how she managed to obtain it. She was led to the Chateau by a series of prophetic dreams, but any other information remains a mystery.

Sachi Faye - Ducky's adopted sister. She was taken in by Ducky's parents as a newborn after her family, being too poor to feed her, gave her up for adoption. It is unknown as to what happened to Ducky's parents after that, but by the time they arrived at the Chateau, her sister had already become her sole caretaker. Sachi has no magical ability whatsoever, but she gets along very well with all kinds of creatures, even dangerous ones.

Haruhi - Ducky's guardian spirit. She is a spirit created using a great amount of magic and some of Ducky's memories, as such, she looks like a younger version of Ducky. She is able to protect Ducky, her summoner, with her magic.

Additional Characters

Dante Durand (No longer around.) - Elune's former lover. Having been sent away by Elune when she decided to serve as Empress to the Vani, and marry the man she was betrothed to, Dante wandered back to the Hume realm. Finding himself unable to return to living the life of an ordinary Hume, he set off once more. Eventually, unable to get too close, or stay too far away, he compromised by settling down in and repairing an abandoned mansion situated right on the border between the two realms. He named his new home the "Chateau Miyana". After Elune became a victim of the curse, Dante set hid her away in the Chateau and left to try and find a cure for her condition.

Miharu Chisaki - The last remaining, and youngest (although she is already 200 years old) of the three great Dryrs, the power she wields is on par to that of her predecessors Mori and Kai. She has the ability to accelerate and manipulate the growth of any plant she touches. She came to the Chateau in search of her predecessors, but Mori had already departed. When Kai decided to return to the Dryr lands, she remained behind because she had become strongly attached to a young child called Eden.