Rikku Lavender

**Rikku Lavender** is a 150-year-old 1st-year student at Lavender Moon Arts in the Starlit house. Her colour image is pastel yellow but is sometimes represented in lilac, and her icon is a shooting star. She is also the leader of Færie Tæl with Peppa and Litzy, a subunit of Urania's Mirror, and the centre of the group overall.

## Backstory

Princess Mira of Andromeda or Rikku Lavender was born on an unknown date within the Andromeda galaxy, 2.537 light-years away from Earth, next to the alien planet Nereia. Rikku is the last daughter of the creator of the galaxy, the Goddess Andromeda, and is also one of the thousands of Starchildren scattered across their universe.

Rikku was born with the rare power of pure light, the same power Andromeda herself had. Her ability manifested when she was around ten years old, causing sudden attention on her. While her sisters treated her no differently from before - which was ignoring her - lots of attention came in the form of letters from people she'd never met. By the hundreds, letters came in urging her to perform miracles or complaints about how she didn't do anything, but worst of all, the messages reminding her that she had to be the mother of the next star system.

Growing up, Rikku was quiet and withdrawn, hiding behind people's backs and failing to make eye contact with people she didn't know. Her birth name was Mira, an Old Nereian name for 'wondrous peace in the universe'. However, she was rarely addressed by her real name, often given cruel nicknames by her sisters, or "princess" or "The Light" by strangers. As the youngest of all of Andromeda's creations, she was often overlooked as a person, the last to get things in her massive family and never invited to any fun parties, or just invited to perform rituals and miracles for people who didn't care for her. A nickname that seemed to stick with Rikku was "Princess Daydream" because of how nonchalant Rikku behaved, staring out of windows and perpetually going with what people told her to, never bothering to argue about anything. Despite this, Rikku knew in her heart that her destiny wasn't the one written in the stars, and she was meant to change what it was to be a star.

Early in her life, Rikku was betrothed to Prince Cygnus of the Taurus constellation, a half-Starchild-half-Pleiadian renowned for his esoteric knowledge. Seers who foresaw Cygnus and Rikku being married the day after her 150th birthday, when Rikku would officially be matured enough.

Rikku avoided seeing Prince Cygnus as much as she could most of her life, almost having an erratic fear of him. She felt terrible for feeling this way, as he'd been nothing but kind to her, and he was only doing what was told of him as well, but she didn't want to live just to become another legend for the convenience of others. Rikku knew that once she married him, she would cease to exist as she was, and she'd be forced to be something she never planned to be.

One hundred moon cycles before the wedding, Prince Cygnus made her an engagement ring of Nereian black crystal. This powerful stone gives the wearer a sense of euphoria or creates strong wormholes that help users leap through galaxies with ease, hoping Rikku would visit more often. On the days approaching Rikku's 150th, she became more irritable and terrified. She wished and pleaded with the universe for a change of fate and even begged Andromeda for a new life but had seemingly no reply. On the day before her birthday, Rikku found a bright purple transmitter from Earth floating outside her bedroom window, singing something she thought she'd heard in a previous life, like a lullaby. For the first time in her life, she was sure she had to fight to change her destiny for good. Using her engagement ring, she used its power to follow the source of where the voice came from, subsequently crash landing in the fountain on the grounds of Lavender Moon Arts, an arts University on the floating isle of Avalon, England. Head prefect, Willow Tsukino-Smith, brought her up to the Headmistress' office for questioning soon after being found. Rikku was truthful about why she was there, despite being met with much doubt. She told the headmistress she was just a girl seeking refuge in the school away from her betrothal and finding the person singing to her. Despite being a paid institute, the headmistress let her in for free and gave her a different name and age to be undercover in the school. In return, Rikku's goal was to become the next pop chart sensation with her girl band. Lavender Moon Arts were well known for churning out popstars, session musicians, artists and boy bands, but they've never once had a successful girl band. If Rikku was unsuccessful, she was to find elsewhere to stay.

As stupid as the terms were, Rikku agreed and was given the name "Rikku Lavender", becoming a 15-year-old 1st-year student.

Rikku began to open up, grateful for her new safe space and community to explore, constantly in awe of everything around her, always questioning bizarre things that humans do, finally free from the chains of the galaxy and responsibilities as a princess and demi-goddess. Thanks to her new besties in Urania's Mirror, she quickly made friends and found joy in everything, especially music. Rikku's understanding of her power continues to grow under the love and guidance of Urania's Mirror and Lavender Moon, as she uses her light to shine for everyone she truly cares about.

## Personality

Rikku would generally be described as a happy-go-lucky flibbertigibbet who enjoys the simple things in life like smelling the flowers and babbling on about hamsters.

Always cheerful and supportive, she believes in making the most out of everything and living in the moment, no matter how “silly” or “daft” she may come across to some. Rikku thoroughly enjoys lighthearted banter as much as deep and heartfelt conversations, deeply attracted to drama, depth and nuance - all the things that make humans so clever and exciting.

Charming, playful, and a social butterfly, Rikku is unusually open-minded and adaptable about many new ideas, wanting to find every new way of exploring them. With her astronomical level of empathy, it’s easy to feel right at ease with her, always having the knack to create warm and accepting paces for even the timidest of spirits.

She learns fast and even learned to play the guitar in less than a week and how to write a song in English in just two.

Rikku’s life wasn’t always as bright and sunny as she projects. Rikku pushes to see the glass half full, as that is always what is expected of her. In the past, Rikku was a maladaptive daydreamer, always wondering what life would be like if she had her way. While this made her an optimist with a constant creativity flow, her overthinking made her paralysed with fear of being disliked. To maintain peace, she would make brash and naïve decisions with people who hadn’t earned her trust and let many people treat her poorly, walking all over her to get what they wanted while ignoring what she needed. As a professional overthinker, Rikku often lost a lot of sleep and neglected to do many of the things asked of her, appearing unfocused, disorganised and restless. To people who are naturally sceptical and untrusting, Rikku can seem bold and aggressive when trying to explain her mind. When met with rejection, she spirals further into a neverending puzzle, trying to find where she went wrong.

Though she can feel pressure when a lot of work is left up to her, Rikku is a natural leader and mediator and has a solid moral compass, always ready to try and make the world as sparkly as she wants. She works well in Urania’s Mirror, even when being a harsh perfectionist. Her friends know that she can be forward and sensitive when provoked and know not to push her too hard for things she doesn’t feel like she can do.

Rikku is a diplomat, eager to hear everyone’s wildly different ideas and opinions, curious about what makes people tick. She finds beauty in almost everything, and despite the band’s look on her being an innocent baby, she’s independent and self-reliant and knows how to embrace elegance and femininity firmly with her coquettish smiles, unafraid to rock the boat with her wild side.

In all, Rikku is loving and loyal to all of her friends, often showering them with cuddles, head-pats and presents. She loves giving gifts as well as receiving, often liking to embrace her superficial and vain side when she can. Rikku made it her formal vow to be always there for them and be their beacon of light for as long as they may need her.

## Powers & Abilities

Rikku is the Andromedan demi-goddess of light, healing, prophecy, life, and the stars. To a lot of alien civilisations, she is their ideals and harmony personified. Rikku is a complex and unusual deity, who’s rare powers made her almost comparable to her mother, Andromeda herself, or similar to the Greek mythological god Apollo.

Most Starchildren have powers, most elemental, involving the natural elements or superior intelligence. However, around her testing period, she could not perform to the same abilities as her older sisters and other Starchildren of her age. Failing her tests, Rikku was unable to produce a good enough fire to be considered a child of Andromeda. However, when she was playing in the palace Moongarden, she instinctively knew how to revive a fallen moonflower. This was promptly discovered, and Rikku became the new it-girl and the face of the new galaxy that was planned.

Rikku’s powers were almost identical to how Andromeda’s powers were before she became the mother of the galaxy when given the official test again, and it was found that Rikku possessed the power of “pure light”, a form of divine fire, which provides others with strength and a sense of euphoria. With the power of light, she can also warp people’s perceptions of reality by bending light, which she seldom uses. Another ability that comes with pure light is prismatic healing and regeneration, which can only be used sparingly, as it takes up a lot of energy from her.

With the power of a demi-goddess, life can be difficult, especially as thousands of civilisations and nations want to use her and her abilities to their benefit, even to go as far as arranging a death-marriage for her so more advanced alien civilisations can move to another galaxy after destroying their own. Once Rikku is married to Prince Cygnus, Rikku’s physical form dies, and she becomes the entire galaxy, doomed to the immense emptiness for eternity.

### Powers

* **Pure light:** While light can be used at high altitudes to blind or maim, Rikku's inherited 'gift' is the power to create new worlds, possibilities and galaxies. By using this power to the fullest, combined with Prince Cygnus' powers, she can create an entire next galaxy for elitist alien races.
* **Eternal fire:** Gives others strength and provides a sense of euphoria. She can only use it accurately if she is feeling enlightened or happy herself, however.
* **Revival:** Rikku has the power to revive something close to death but at a price. Rikku loses consciousness and happiness while using this power.
* **Prismatic healing:** Rikku is able to heal minor injuries without hassle. She cannot mend broken bones or use this power in a place with little light.
* **Hallucikinesis:** Rikku is able to manipulate light to be her holograms or mirages. People targeted are able to use all five senses in a tangible world that doesn't appear to people not targeted. Rikku seldom uses this power unless on stage to give the illusion of better lighting.

### Abilities

* **Teleportation:** Rikku can teleport a small handful of times with the help of her engagement ring. In able to do it, she has to create a wormhole, which can be dangerous if she doesn’t know where she’s going.
* **Spontaneous combustion:** This doesn’t really have a use in any way. The tips of her hair catch on fire occasionally, and peers often use it as an opportunity for a free lighter.

## Physical Description

Rikku has big, fluffy, curly cherry-red hair with sparkly tips just over shoulder-length, stuck tightly in two bunches that stick up on the top of her head, with loose, newly grown wavy human hair at the back.

Rikku has heterochromia, a common physical trait for Starchildren. On both eyes, there's seafoam turquoise at the top and taffy pink at the bottom. She occasionally has one turquoise eye and one pink eye when she makes public appearances, hoping it will confuse fewer people.

Rikku has thin, arched dark eyebrows and a perpetual wonder in her expression.

Rikku gives off a warm aura, constantly grinning a wide, cheeky gap-toothed smile. She is occasionally seen to glow from her chest from time to time, especially when she is exceedingly happy or performing.

Rikku stands boldly at about 163.5cm, with skin a warm, sandy tan and dark brown freckles that resemble sparkles and stars littering her nose, cheeks and arms.

She doesn't own many clothes outside of the Lavender Moon Arts uniform or Urania's Mirror outfits. She threw away her only owned dress, which is the scorched gown she wore for her engagement the day she got to Lavender Moon. After a few town charity shops run with Bunni, Peppa and Litzy, she owns a few cutesy tops and dungarees from the 90s and 00s. Rikku's favourite fashion interest lies in punk lolita fashion, or goshikku gyaru, getting a job solely for buying her very own punk lolita dress.

Previously in space, Rikku had extremely long multicoloured hair in shades of red, purple and blues, tethered to the universe to keep her from leaving. Rikku has mentioned that her hair was 'alive' before she cut it off, and it was its own star-field or a nebula containing little twinkling stars.

## Etymology

* The name **Rikku** *(リュック)* is the unisex Japanese form of the Norse name **Rikki**, meaning "forever alone", "peaceful ruler" or "land". Headmistress Tsukino-Smith claims she named Rikku after one of the bubbly girls in a game she was playing.
* The name **Lavender** comes from the plant of the same name. The evergreen shrub is generally thought to be derived from Old French *lavandre*, ultimately from the Latin *livere*, meaning "blueish", referring to the colour of the plants. However, Headmistress Tsukino-Smith named her after the school, Lavender Moon Arts.
* The name **Mira** is a girl's name of Latin origin, meaning "female ruler", "admirable", "peace", or "world". However, in Andromeda, her star name means "princess of light".

## School classes

* GCSE Maths & English
* Singing & Composition
* Instrumental
* World dance
* Musical Theatre

## Clubs and Hobbies

Rikku works on Urania's Mirror full time outside and in Uni. She also has a Saturday job working in an ice cream parlour early in the mornings.

Her hobbies include eating ice cream, playing the guitar, talking to people, singing, skating, shopping, hard drinking, swimming and long cuddles.

Rikku enjoys listening to her friends' childhood stories and helping out with anything anyone asks her to help with. She also tries to write at least one song a day, depending on how she feels.

Rikku is often found talking to strangers on the street corner where she busks, trying her best to promote Urania's Mirror. As part of her strange humour, Rikku often likes reading history books in the library, dressing up as obscure historical figures, and pretending to be their ghosts at night once in a blue moon while collecting mushrooms and odd herbs for her collection. Rikku also loves long bus rides into Bristol or Bath, where Urania's Mirror always goes for pizza and various shopping trips for materials and cute clothes.

## Trivia

* Rikku is portrayed by Marianne C.E Chaventré, the creator of the group.
* Rikku was the first character created for Urania's Mirror back in 2018. Her original design was made back in 2015, where initially she had purple hair.
* Rikku learned how to play the guitar within two days, though she is still perplexed by musical notes.
* Rikku is seen often to be glowing or sparkling.
* Rikku can't burp or hiccup. Instead, she makes an "eep" noise like a hamster.
* Rikku particularly favours Peppa, knowing in her heart it was Peppa who was singing to her on the purple transmitter.
* She has the powers of a demi-goddess but is reluctant to use her powers or even mention them a lot of the time.
* Rikku has always dreamed about owning a custom sparkly purple fender strat.
* Rikku works at the ice cream parlour in Glastonbury Town every Saturday from 6 am - 9 am to taste the ice cream flavours and help think of new ones. With her pay, she likes to buy trinkets for Urania's Mirror while out in the town.
* She is terrible at handling money, not being able to save up for what she wants as she is too impulsive, buying anything of interest whenever Urania's Mirror goes shopping together. She's still crying over that one punk lolita dress she's wanted for years.
* Rikku has a fear of Prince Cygnus and when he'll appear and what he'll do if he finds her. She often confides in Robyn about her engagement, worried that no one else in Urania's Mirror would believe her tale.
* Along with being the group's primary songwriter, Rikku also helps design the outfits and finds venues to play at.
* Rikku's main guitar style is folk and country, as she feels it resonates with her the most.
* Rikku has a collection of 3 guitars, a school guitar called Nicks, an ovation celebrity with a leaf pattern called Taylor, and a black electric Washburn called Kate. She claims her guitars are named after famous female singers she admires, Stevie Nicks, Taylor Swift, and Kate Bush.
* Rikku's favourite member of Lunarforce is Tristan Storm. She likes his purple hair.