Uliva "Caprice" Falieri

[Uliva]

Player:Kat
Name: Uliva (ool-EE-vah) Falieri, nicknamed Caprice or Capriccio by her family. Sometimes also called Uli or Liva. It should be noted that she despises nicknames and tosses a fit at anyone who does not call her by her proper name.
Age: 16
Race: Human with something other mixed in from awhile ago; odds are on dwarf or some other type of short fae.
Height: 5'2"

Description:

Despite having honey-brown hair and green eyes, Uliva Falieri did not win the genetic jackpot. Her hair is limp. Her eyes are a little too small. Her nose is a little too long and her lips a little too wide. Add the pimples of teenagerhood and a dumpy figure and you've got a girl who can qualify as ugly. Her movements contain no saving elegance or grace, and she has no sweet mannerisms or room-brightening smiles to soften her looks or give her the positive description of "nice". No, the only time where beauty might apply to little Uliva is when she's playing the piano. She has a pianist's fingers -- long and well formed -- but that doesn't count for a whole lot when her personality is so brattish.

Uliva doesn't really make attempts to make herself prettier, having realized long ago that it is useless to attempt when time could be better spent on the piano. As a result, she tends to wear simple skirts and blouses that -- though of good quality -- don't really do anything for her. Her favorite color is a pale yellow, which doesn't really flatter her that much. What does work for her is her favorite perfume, which is a mixture of lily, vanilla, and a hint of lemon. It doesn't much match her image, but it suits her. Such softness is a contradiction with her personality, which is often uncompromising. Even so, she loves sweet things. She has a weakness for cute and girly things, though she makes a point to not own or show such feelings in public. In her mind, a virtuoso's dignity ranks above such emotions. It's inappropriate.

Uliva has a hard time sitting around doing nothing. While a part of her always longs to run around acting like a fool like other young kids, she keeps herself firmly in check. Instead, she keeps herself busy with other things, be it practicing, singing or -- when she doesn't have access to an instrument -- knitting. She enjoys logic puzzles and memorization games.

She acts like she doesn't like boys, but she's at that stage where she's starting to notice them more and more. Similarly, she acts like she's above others' opinions -- especially when it comes to her music -- but in reality, no matter how obtuse she's acting, it does matter. A lot.

Possessions:

Her family owns a small home in the more posh side of the Residential District, as well as a viola & violin shop in Central Marn.

Uliva herself has two violas, a violin, and a piano given to her on her fifteenth birthday by her doting grandmother, Ambra -- much to the dismay of her mother's side of the family.

She also has lots of clothes, most of them for performances.

Strengths:

Good under Pressure

Having dealt with parental expectations since before she could remember, Uliva has adapted and thrived with them. While she does get nervous before performances, it's the good kind -- the sort that propels a person to succeed rather than a hurdle to overcome. She's a pro at handling her nerves, and will not crack in most circumstances.

Musician

Uliva excels with music. She is one of the best pianists in Marn, though considering they are a rare breed in Marn that's not saying anything very special. Still, in the wider application of things, when it comes to her piano she is above average. She is a competent viola player. Music is her strong suit, and she can passably play many types of instruments (in the sense of not making horrible noises with them; she would not be able to play more than simple pieces), though the only two she is on her way to mastering are piano and viola.

Her greatest flaw with how she plays the two instruments is her almost haughty handling of the classics. In the way of youth she will sometimes play carelessly, altering the score to suit her mood or taste, believing that she is improving the music. This is barely acceptable as a soloist (though somewhat expected from such high-strung youths as she, especially in a small city), but it becomes nightmarish in an ensemble.

Doesn't Stay Down

Despite her numerous flaws, if one good thing could be said about Uliva's personality it is that she very rarely lets anything keep her down for long. It isn't that she's optimistic exactly, but her determination is second to none. Even when she is feeling insecure, perhaps especially when she feels defeated, she does not allow her feelings to get in the way of her goals. Spoiled brat she may be, but she is also a hard worker (at least when it comes to things she wants). Though she has just as many doubts as any teenage girl, she ultimately believes in herself (although some of that is her overwhelming arrogance). Don't expect her to give up easily on the things she wants!

Not Afraid to Speak Her Mind

While not always a good thing, Uliva's bluntness has saved her numerous times from being railroaded by well-meaning adults (or not so well-meaning adults) and kids who thought to make her life miserable. She has no problem making her wants known and understood, which means she tends to get what she wants. The downside to this is that her arrogance is not going to make things easier for her once she reaches adulthood, but hey: Uliva can tell it like it is. In a world where double-meanings and sneaky insults are the norm rather than the exception, it has its uses. Additionally, Uliva does know when to stop pushing most times. The problem is when her temper and nature overrule the calmer, more rational side of her personality.

Weaknesses and Flaws:

Transparent

Uliva is fairly certain that she is wonderful at hiding her feelings. Maybe that's true for things like boredom or lesser emotions, but she is incapable of hiding strong feelings. She gives countless tells (the way her "neutral" expression warps being one of them), and so long as one is paying attention it is a fair bet you could read her like a book.

Sore Loser

Uliva cannot stand being second. Though she always tries to hide it, or pretend she doesn't care, her whole life has been built around the idea that if she isn't the best in the things she tries for then she is nothing. She's not used to struggling for things; she is unaccustomed to failing. Losing at something completely undermines her self-confidence.

Arrogant

Oh girl, you're in for it. Spoiled children sometimes turn out to be horrible adults. Uliva certainly is worthy of praise, but what she doesn't understand is that her attitude and cocksure idea that she is without flaw will certainly come back to bite her in the ass. It's not that she's a horrible person, but rather that her "legacy" (as her parents put into her head) is not what she thinks it is. She is not so insulated as to be able to act the way she wants forever. The question is: when push comes to shove, will she be able to find a place as a musician in Marn as an adult? Will there be any bridges left, or will she have burned them all?

Self-conscious

Uliva is not a good looking girl. She knows this. She knows this very well. While divas like her might be able to trick themselves into thinking they are above average, Uliva has never seen the point in lying to herself. As a result, her confidence begins to erode when she is in situations that don't have to do with music. She feels awkward. While she tries to hide it with bluster and cutting words, it doesn't change the fact that she is the proverbial ugly duckling who has no hope of growing into the swan. No matter how bullish her determination might be, she is still a girl who is affected by society's expectations about femininity and beauty. This partially underlays the reason why she is a social outcast amongst her peers and adults; rather than try to please in order to be looked upon as acceptable, she tends to reject before others can reject her.

Family

Maternal Grandfather: Lazzaro de Viscardi
Maternal Grandmother: Banca Cigogna

Paternal Grandmother: Ambra Falieri
Paternal Grandather: Teo Orosz

Maternal Uncle: TBD

Father: Matteo Falieri
Mother: Ginevra
Sister: Milia (-3)

History:

Third generation Marnian, immigrated from Apthoni: Uliva's grandmother, Banca, was from a small community of devout Puradynes in Apthoni's southwest. Having been raised near dwarf settlements, Banca never really came into contact with magic until she was wed to Lazzaro de Viscardi, whose family were traditionally luthiers of bowed-string instruments, primarily violins and violas. Banca was the daughter of a scribe who maintained, and sometimes restored, the city's older records. Her mother also worked as a scribe, though in a more traditional sense; she was one of a few who kept judicial records for the city. It was only natural, therefore, that Banca would find some trade having to do with writing. She was never pressured to follow her parents, but her musical passion lead her to become a calligraphical copyist for musical scores.

Banca interacted regularly with the city's musically inclined, and it was for this reason only that she met Lazzaro. Love followed, and, subsequently, a move towards Apthoni's more magically progressive center. Banca endured it there, for awhile. Magic, she firmly believed, was the route towards laziness and complacency. It lead to subjugation, and other evil behaviors. As she travelled alongside Lazzaro (he worked to repair instruments from the de Viscardi brand; they were fairly well known, though not famous. They were respectable, and most of the younger luthiers in the family earned their spots in the family shops by doing these repairs for clients) she only came to hate magic.

She was pregnant when she heard tell of a city that had outright banned magic, and existed wholly separate from other cities. They did not interact with magic. It was perfect. Through methods we will not examine here, she convinced her husband that Marn was the next step in the de Viscardi expansion. He was not stupid, but he was young and flush with love for Banca. He wanted to please her. Besides, she was pregnant and vaguely terrifying. They moved.

By the time Uliva's mother, Ginevra, was a teenager the de Viscardi brand had a tenuous foothold in Marn. Banca encouraged Ginevra's own love of music, and in turn Ginevra became a luthier like her father. Through some parental nudging, Ginevra eventually fell for a good synevive boy whose family was minor but, nonetheless, themselves notable within Marn's small but steady musical industry. The Falieri matriarch was a composer for the local theater. Banca was a copyist. Ginevra was a luthier. The boy, Matteo, was an actor. The Falieri family was originally from Apthoni, seven or so generations ago. It worked out.

This was the world into which Uliva was born. Suffice to say she never really stood a chance. She began to learn the viola at age four. Where temperament did not excel, pressure was applied: it was unacceptable for her to not play. Likewise, she was expected to do well in school once she reached the minimum age for that. The same was expected of her sister. It was natural enough that she should excel with music, and tempered by regular practice, she was best among the small, small circle of peers. Do note that with Marn being such a small city, excelling with music was relatively easy. The competition such culturally saturated and musically exchanging areas like south Eyropa provided was absent. Banca had only ever been average in Apthoni, but in Marn she was definitely above average. Likewise, it is entirely possible that put up against four or five year olds from south Eyropa, Uliva would be found wanting. Perhaps even thoroughly average. Marn being what it is, and instructors available to Uliva being what they were, the results were predictable.

She was the best. At least in her age group. There was what, four of them? Five? Still, no matter how many were there, she was praised for it. Extensively.

By age seven, however, Uliva had found something that she actually enjoyed, and that was the piano. The paternal side of her family had no problem with this. After all, Matteo could play some piano. Ambra (his mother) composed music for it on a regular basis and could play passably well. But on her mother's side, with an uncle and Ginevra herself still making stringed instruments, it wasn't the best thing ever. Piano? That relatively newfangled entry to proper music, hanger-on to orchestral arrangements, a plinky accompaniment to legetimate instruments?

But by that point Uliva was somewhat spoiled, and encouraged by the doting lavished upon her by her grandfathers: she held firm. She wanted the piano. After tantrums and adult arguments and declarations and ultimatums, a compromise was struck. Uliva needed to maintain her school, and continue practicing the viola. If she could do well with those two things, she could learn the piano also. Now, Uliva was by no means a perfect child. She did not bow easily to the pressure put upon her, not like her docile younger sister. So she did exactly the minimum required out of her for the other things, but the piano. . .

The piano was hers. The fact that she'd won it, in her mind, had won something from her parents, well, that was all the gravy she needed. Piano became her life, her escape: a haven where she only needed to please herself, and it pleased her to be the best at it, better than anyone else.

She was praised for it by Ambra, but it didn't make her mother happy. Her father was careful to not show too much enthusiasm, and to Uliva that meant he didn't approve. It angered her. Still, they balanced against each other: her parents and her. She was allowed to play the piano only if she did what they wanted. If they didn't let her play the piano, she didn't do what they wanted. It wasn't an ideal situation, but it worked.

Uliva was known for her talent by the time she was 13. She had no friends. She was known as the weird girl, the ugly girl, the piano-freak -- but she didn't need them. They weren't anything special. She was. So she held in her feelings, and sneered at them. Her condescension and rudeness (saved from being outright unacceptable by a thin sheen of manners cast haphazardly over the top) did not help matters. She was, essentially, an outcast among her peers. Adults liked her only for her talent; they too found her to be a handful. Those who did not have use of her for her talent certainly had no desire to interact with her. Her teachers kept their distance, praising her in vague ways and having no more to do with her than was necessary. That was okay. That was fine. So long as she had her piano, it didn't matter what anyone else thought or did.

This was her life for the next three years. She studied, she practiced her viola, and she played her beloved piano. Though she learned better manners over those three years, there still remains a sense of haughtiness about her. She is an egocentric teenager, certain of her place in the world and her future.

She is close to debuting in the theater's orchestra -- but as a lower ranking viola. With parental pressure to showcase the de Viscardi stringed instruments, she's fighting hard to be allowed to take her piano all the way up to the storied halls of Marn's upper class. Now that she is expanding beyond her peers, however, she'll find that maybe the adult world (and competition) isn't quite what she expected it to be. She'll find that maybe, just maybe, she's not so special after all.