Puzzles

A redhaired boy hugging a dark-haired boy

Ruiqi

Ruiqi moodboard

Ruiqi Ballentyne is the adopted heir of the CEO of one of the most powerful clans on Mei Guo, but her father went out of his way to raise her to be as down to earth as possible and she has constantly striven to live up to his expectations of her, even when life has thrown her one curveball after another. Ruiqi is tall and slim, with medium-dark skin and a mouth that always seems to be quirking into a smile. She enjoys fashion and is an expert in glamour magic, and her curly hair is is constantly being worked into new styles. Ruiqi is outgoing and friendly, but as a child had trouble making friends because of her social position and has never quite forgotten it. She is the chosen chariot of the city of Shengao as well as her father's chosen successor and has not yet worked out how she'll reconcile those.

  • Visual Reference: Theresa Fractale
  • Element: city
  • Sexuality: Kinsey 3
  • Gender: trans female
  • Soulmates: three
  • Fundraisers launched at someone: seven
  • Siblings: one younger brother
  • Likes: bright and colorful fashion, listening to people talk about their lives, Shengao, being taken seriously, mystery novels, lilacs, her father about half of the time
  • Dislikes: being condescended to, gossip, paparazzi, kidnapping attempts, her father the other half of the time

Robin

Robin moodboard

You know how sometimes when you're fourteen you do one dumb thing and accidentally release an ancient evil back into the world and it puts your whole life on a different track where otherwise you might never have met your husband, who was possessed by an dragon spirit at the time, or lost your inheritance to a doppelganger who your dad liked better anyway, or lost a leg and an eye and ended up specializing in prosthetics? It's like that.

Robin Blaser is tall and gangly, like he never quite grew out of his teenage years, with an angular nose and cheekbones. His skin is pale, and his hair is garishly red when he keeps it dyed, just long enough to get into his eyes. Right eye is green; left eye is artificial/steel, with a faded scar trailing from the socket. Robin’s in his late twenties and dresses like an older, lazier punk – primarily in t-shirts, jeans and workboots, with an eyebrow ring on his good eye and multiple hoops in both ears. His right leg is artificial from just above the knee, and he’s gone through multiple designs over the years for his prosthetic. If you can see his hands, his right arm is also damaged- middle and ring fingers are metal and an assortment of silver circuitry runs up his forearm, but you’re welcome to overlook that detail if you prefer. He has a lot of nervous energy, and tends to be very expressive with his hands.

  • Visual Reference: Gordon Bothe
  • Element: void
  • Sexuality: Kinsey 4ish
  • Gender: trans male
  • Legs: one
  • Eyes: one
  • Fingers: eight
  • Murder attempts by ancient immortals: three
  • Siblings: one original, one late-model evil twin
  • Likes: Jiang, robots, things that work correctly, puffed rice candy, poetry, freshly cleaned laundry, terrible movies
  • Dislikes: himself, most of his life choices, the above-mentioned ancient immortals, having to remember things, distractions, coercion, getting things stuck in his teeth, people who stare at him

Jiang

Jiang moodboard

Jiang Yung is seventeen and has been for the last hundred years – he bonded with a dragon to save the world and has been feeling superior about it ever since. He’s Han Chinese, with long black hair and bright golden eyes, and while he’ll wear modern clothes, he wears them with formality – everything is tucked in or placed just so. His ears come to a slight point, as do his teeth; he’s obviously inhuman if you look at him for more than a few moments. He’s confident to the point of boredom pretty much constantly, but he finds Robin amusing. After he separates from the Dragon, he remembers what it’s like to be human and young and eventually relaxes, though he retains some of his features and his general air of being more than he seems.

  • Visual Reference: David Chiang
  • Element: water
  • Sexuality: Kinsey 5ish, considers himself homosexual with exceptions
  • Gender: trans male
  • Unrequited crushes: two
  • Years spent being eighteen: 108, give or take a millenia
  • Times Chenek almost killed him: five and a half
  • Likes: learning new sports, sunrise, cats, painting, painting cats
  • Dislikes: being treated like an eighteen year old, overly sweet foods, boredom
Robin kissing Jian by Jackce Jian kissing Robin by Jackce Ruiqi and Robin by Ssavana Sheets Jian Robin and Ruiqi by Ash Ruiqi sketches by Milimigu Robin sketches by Milimigu Jian sketches by Milimigu

Neon Fates

A pink-haired girl and a dark-haired girl in bed

Lin

Lin moodboard
  • built like a swimmer or a gymnast
  • straight black hair and gold-brown eyes that are brighter when she's angry
  • prefers her clothes dark, with simple lines
  • likes: sharp things, warm and cozy places, peace and quiet, books, tea
  • photo reference: Leanne Wong

Zhenya

Zhenya moodboard
  • softer and taller than Lin
  • short colored hair and grey eyes - feel free to go ham on her hair, she would
  • somewhere between eurotrash and egirl
  • likes: motorcycles, busy clubs, challenging hunts, coffee, Lin
  • photo reference: Tasha Sapojnikova
Lin and Zhenya cuddling by CR Scannell Lin and Zhenya arguing by Cas Lin by Crim Lin by Jackce Zhenya by Jackce Zhenya b&w by Jackce Lin by SugarGun

Empty Sky Notes

*In case you're wondering why I'm using the Kinsey scale, it's because most of the world in Empty Sky assumes a bisexual default and only really worries about heterosexuality when there's literal bloodline concerns (which is less than you'd expect: adoption and fosterage are both very common).