Profile
About
When a disgraced imp that was banished from Hell and a Russian acrobat from the 1500s love each other very much, they create a criminal empire under the guise of an entertainment conglomerate. They also create a clown abomination. That abomination is Oleander.
Though she has long since fled from her parents and discarded the name they gave her, Oli will forever live in the shadow of the Sobol legacy. Oli misses her best friend Signi and her old circus life, but her new calling is teaching 4th grade. Sure, the student loans are pricy, and okay I guess she accidentally took loans from the mafia. No matter how many times she tries to make her own way in the world on an honest living, she always seems to end up right back to pointing the business end of a tommy gun at someone's face (BLAMELESS, she'll insist).
Will her parents find her? Will she pay the rent on time? Will anyone realize she's just a Ms. Frizzle/Harley Quinn rip off? Will she grade all these papers?! Fuckin... I dunno, probably.
Character
Likes
- bright colors
- jokes 'n japes
- pretty dresses
- performing
Dislikes
- snitches
- grading papers
- people who don’t put their carts away at the grocery store, especially when it gets in her way specifically
A playful, yet mischievous kinda gal whose chaotic nature is both a blessing and a curse. She is loyal to those that are close to her, but also conceited. Empathy is important to her, so she works hard to manage her impulsive, confrontational tendencies. If she feels wronged, she gets vengeful real quick. If her students ask her a question and she doesn’t know the answer, she displays curiosity with a ‘let’s find out together’ attitude. Her fellow teachers say she’s so loud you can hear her normal speaking voice down every hallway. No matter what mess she gets herself into, Oli is determined to make it out alive, even if it kills her. Oh, wait…
Story
A disgraced Imp and a Russian acrobat walk into a circus
Once upon a time, an imp was kicked out of Hell and stripped of her name. She found her way to Russia and into a circus as a sideshow act. She fell in love with a Russian acrobat named Mr. Sobol, and eventually married him.
The owner of the circus almost ran it into the ground. The Sobols took a gamble and bought it from the owner for cheap. Over many years, they built an entertainment empire, turning the circus into a travelling spectacle and expanding their business around the world. Eventually, they dipped into the criminal underworld and became a powerful force to be reckoned with.
The daughter walks the tight rope
Many, many years passed. They gave birth to a child named Amaranth. Amaranth was a sad little girl who didn't like to talk much, partly because she had a stutter. Her parents weren't kind about it, telling her that she needed to speak if she was going to take her place in the family business.
Amaranth spent her spare time hiding away in the family circus. She met her best friend Signi, a young man with the ability to control fire. She learned sign language to speak with him, as he was deaf and non-verbal. They became a double act. She learned the tricks of the trade, learning acrobats and contortion. She threw fits so her parents would let her stay, and they eventually gave in because they noticed a marked improvement in her mood, speech, and studies.
Watching the tight rope snap
Amaranth had an ugly falling out with her parents. She stormed out of the house and ran away to America. There was no time to say goodbye to Signi, or anyone else in the circus. She feared that contacting Signi would put him in danger, if her parents wanted her back. She used the money she had on her to leave the country and change her name, but otherwise she refused to use any of her family's resources.
Finding new footing
Oleander decided that becoming a teacher would be a good idea. She would be able to take her well-earned empathy and pass it onto children, as she wished had been done for her. But to be a teacher, you need a college education. She had all the time in the world to get an education—but the money? What are you nuts, teaching doesn’t pay well enough to pay apartment bills, let alone COLLEGE LOANS. One thing led to another, and she kind of sort of accidentally got a loan from the mafia. She went through all the years needed to become a teacher, which is like… hey, what’s that compared to however long she's been alive?
The mafia didn’t forget the loan. They came to her apartment demanding their piece (plus interest). When she didn’t have the money, the group let her know that her life meant very little to them. And naturally, she was pretty desperate to not be killed. Oleander offered her abilities to them, and now she is part of the mafia, who also happen to be one of her faily's biggest competitors. Whoops!
Trivia
- Experienced contortionist and acrobat
- Truly cares for her students
- Her laugh can only be described as a cackle
- Helps monster students mesh with human students whenever she can
- Goes overboard with frugality, but she’s not great with her finances. She would rather spend money on a nice new dress than food
- Despite her loud, colorful nature, Oli can be very unassuming when she wants to be
- Knows a few languages, and wants to learn more for her kids. Knows sign language that Signi used (researching which exact language), but is trying to learn ASL
- Telling her that she is acting like a child, or any variation of this, is a one way ticket to Shit List Ville
Powers
Half the Imp, All the MessHalf imp, half human. She doesn't have the full strength of her mother's powerful, but she does have a human and an imp form. She can control transforming into her imp form at will, but if she is worked up, angry, sleeping/unconcious, or otherwise excited, she may transition without thinking about it.
At One With the BackgroundCan blend into a background, crowd, etc. at the drop of a hat. Not fully invisible, but instead blending with the scenery, hiding in plain sight. At a glance, she appears as an unassuming person, or a lamp, or a tree. If you stare long enough at the wavering figure, however, you might just see her true form. She can slip into different shapes one after the other. The longer she stays in this form, the more exhausted she gets.
Lurking in the ShadowsMorphs her body into a slippery, stretchy, shadowy mass. Not invisible. Great for sneaking up on people, slipping under doors, hiding in cracks, and generally getting into places she has no business being in. Again, the longer she stays in this form, the more exhausted she gets.
Every Nook and CrannyCan fit into virtually any small space. The more narrow the space and the more stressed she is, the harder it is for her to stay in that space. She can theoretically fit into a crack in a wall, but presumably she would only be doing this in a high-stress situation, and the crack is very thin. She cannot fit inside of living things, but... what about a dead body?
