sondering

[sondering]

they didn't stay throughout the entire service, of course not; no amount of practice during mandatory services and lectures would make them sit still throughout something that it is hardly concerning them, or even mildly interesting — they did not know the deceased, not enough to claim more respect than to at least show up. so their attention was already otherwise occupied, by the streets, awaiting for their cousins.

it just happens that one of them — probably one of their favorite ones, comes in their direction, even if in a less than safe manner. "caroline junior, you listen to your mother," comes in the tone of voice so hardly used by them — the one only people under the age of seventeen usually heard (they so hated to play older sister or governess, but the naturality of which they took to the role was alarming and terrifying). "she's fine, carrie. i'm fine. no nicks or anything — her teeth are not that mighty just yet. and we have a common new beau." the dog in question was a mutt, no doubt about it, and seemed rather fond of whatever greasy thing was the cheapest in the menu that they had purchased just for the creature. "it doesn't bite, too," the dog, as well as caroline junior, for now.

green eyes linger on the dog and the toddler for just a moment, before they raise to her cousin - in - law, lifting her eyebrows in a surprise that was just enough of a cover up for relief. "yes, i arrived just a moment too late and left just a moment too early. no harm done, is it?"

where    ⸻    the  millionaires'  mile,  enroute  to  the  dupont  house. status    ⸻    open.

it  was  a  short  walk  from  the  church  to  the  mansion  that  had  once  belonged  to  george  dupont  ─  beloved  companion  and  trusted  friend,  she  had  murmured  through  a  handkerchief  pressed  against  her  dry  cheeks,  though  the  truth  to  their  relationship  had  been  a  bit  more  complex  than  that.  caroline  could  not  genuinely  confess  that  she  would  miss  the  man  as  much  as  she  would  miss  his  predictability  and  his  hunger  for  a  good  story,  and  she  was  not  looking  forward  to  meeting  his  replacement  in  the  newspaper,  which  was  why  it  was  important  for  her  to  sink  her  teeth  into  his  distant  relatives  as  soon  as  possible. if  her  children  could  stop  getting  distracted  by  every  interesting  sight,  sound  or  person  on  the  streets. ❝  lina,  please  do  not  run  across  the  stre  ---  ❞  spotting  a  dog,  her  daughter  sprinted  across  the  street  as  fast  as  her  chubby  toddler  legs  could  carry  her  and  with  a  pained  sigh,  caroline  followed  after  her,  grimacing  slightly  as  the  child  bumped  into  someone's  legs.  unperturbed,  the  girl  continued  to  where  the  dog  was  sitting,  tail  wagging  as  the  child  came  up  to  pet  it  ─  keeping  an  eye  on  the  pair,  caroline  turned  her  face  towards  the  person  that  had  been  run  through  by  her  daughter,  an  apologetic  smile  on  her  lips.  ❝  too  much  energy  from  sitting  still  in  church.  ❞  she  offered  by  way  of  an  explanation,  disinterested  gaze  sharpening  as  she  recognized  the  person  in  front  of  her.  ❝  were  you  at  the  service  ?  we  were  seated  in  the  front  and  i  dared  not  turn  to  look  around  and  risk  a  lecture  from  the  rector.  ❞

[sondering]

they were late. this is no uncommon occurrence — much to their mother's chagrin — but there should be some sort of extra respect offered to a situation as such, but it was also too late to regret on how they had purposefully ignored the ten times the maid had called on them to join the astors. she sees her family up front at once, yet, though their seat (now occupied by the youngest of her cousin's children) could easily be given to them, birdie had no interest in walking up to the first rows. instead, they preferred somewhere with some more distance; it is only when another speaks up that they notice that they were not the only one late.

blinking up at the newcomer, they almost believe that they have taken seats assigned to another of four hundred, but the man puts her at ease and, at once, birdie removes the hat and the mass' pamphlet. "of course. refreshing to see that some people also slept late — it's not as if there is some rush, is it?" their grandmother would have their neck if she was to hear such disrespect, but birdie is beyond concern. "i must warn have no clue whose seat this is, so you may have to be alert in case someone else comes a'claiming."

starter  for  : anyone  location    :    incide  the  memorial,  before  it  begins

  walking  into  the  chappel  Thaddeus  looked  around,  not  seeing  any  of  his  so-called  family  members  yet  and  recognizing  some  of  the  faces  his  mentor  had  told  him  about.  He  could  see  where  the  Astors  were  seated,  the  prim  and  proper  saint  Albans  and  the  rest  of  them.  truth  was  Thaddeus  hated  these  rich  people  and  their  coin,  how  they  flaunted  it  in  front  of  everyone  else  wanting  to  be  looked  upon  and  adored  as  if  they  were  better  than  the  rest  of  them.

  with  a  clenched  fist,  he  took  a  deep  breath  before  approaching  one  of  the  benches.  he  was  supposed  to  be  one  of  them  so  he  without  a  doubt  was  dressed  as  one  as  well.  with  his  intuition  he  walked  up  to  someone,  and  smiled  kindly  yet  not  too  much.  "excuse  me,  is  there  any  chance  I  could  take  this  spot  next  to  you?"  with  a  pretend  of  worry  he  looked  around  a  little.  "it  seems  I  got  separated  from  my  family  and  it  is  about  to  begin  soon  -  I  do  not  wish  to  be  a  bother."  he  chuckled  with  venom  behind  every  word  but  a  charming  front.

[sondering]

[      arsema thomas  +  twenty seven  +  cis woman  +  she/her     ]      the  city  of  new  york  welcomes  efemena 'effie' dormer  to  the  social  season  of  1887.  known  to  be  resourceful  and  persuasive,  their  rumored  meddlesome and  opportunistic  tendencies  might  prove  to  be  their  unmaking.  the  street  musicians  often  string  along  a  tune  that  sounds  like  king by  florence and the machine whenever  they  are  near,  hoping  for  a  coin  or  two  as  a  reward.  unbeknown  to  their  peers,  efemena  views  the  social  season  as an opportunity to grow business and fulfill her father's wish to find spouses for herself and her siblings,  but  when  holding  a  secret  such  as  she has been working with the books for the family business for years and wants to be a business partner to her brothers rather than someone else's wife,  it  would  be  best  to  keep  their  opinions  to  themselves.

basic statistics :

full name : efemena dormer.

nicknames or aliases : effie.

age : twenty - seven.

date of birth : may 12th 1859.

occupation : businesswoman.

parents : mr. dormer (d. 1886) + mrs. dormer (d. 1874).

siblings : two older brothers, one younger sister.

marital status : unmarried.

sexuality : greysexual.

the secret :

on the outside, effie is perfectly poised, distant from all that may tarnish her family's name - - and perhaps eager to escape its shadow - - but, truly, she is nothing if not ambitious to make the dormers rise further and she can only see that happening by her hand. while she is not looking to dethrone or rob her brothers' of their role within the family, she wants one of her own, and has been working with the books and most documents of the family's business for a few years now.

thoughts on high society :

she was raised within it, even if at times the dormers have been treated as outsiders and words were whispered about them. effie does not exactly care for it, but she is ever eager to keep carving a role for herself and her family, careless of whom she may have to please or hurt to keep her family on the inside.

headcanons :

tw: terminal illness.

by the time efemena was born, the dormer riches were already done. as a child, she'd hear the embellished story told by her mother as she sat upon the matriarch's lap — father had made some money, inherited through a distant uncle and made it grow with proper investments.  a success story, much like the one of astors and whoever came with the mayflower and prospered. 

the truth was not far from it, but efemena would never truly understand why their story was less palatable than any of these families' who did not have noses turned their way. if anything, she thought the dormer's story was much more interesting — truer in the sense that they had grown their wealth and they kept it, and she did not turn her head away from the hypocrisy that was that it was not only them that grew rich with their investments.

of course, her interest in the family business was not entirely encouraged. instead, it was mother and father's insistence that she would pull herself from it as much as she could — she would attend the best finishing schools, remove any tarnish of accent picked up from father's, dress better than any of her colleagues and only pick the best company. it was not something she minded, you see. she enjoyed looking good and acclimating herself with the right people.

but she also enjoyed sneaking into father's office and looking over old books with names and sums, write them down for herself; when father was away, she would not rest until one of her brothers took her to the cassinos, hidden in the cover of the night, so she may become familiar with the family business. still, it would take her years to be acknowledged by the patriarch; it would take her many tears (false and true), begging, tantrums and, finally, mr. dormer's ailing wealth for her to receive a seat at the table (which, by then, had been her father's sickbed). 

by the time her father passed, she had become well-familiarized with the books, but only barely. the empire amassed is great, but not without its chance to crumble if they do not tend to it as mr. dormer himself had in the past — effie is nothing is not a doting daughter in that regard, hellbent on making sure they stand strong and grow better, by whatever means necessary.

[sondering]

[      havana rose liu  +  twenty seven  +  non-binary  +  they/she      ]      the  city  of  new  york  welcomes  alberta 'birdie' huang  to  the  social  season  of  1887,  the  cousin  of  the astor family.  known  to  be  effervescent  and  creative,  their  rumored  capricious and  entitled tendencies  might  prove  to  be  their  unmaking.  the  street  musicians  often  string  along  a  tune  that  sounds  like  c'est si bon  by  eartha kitt  whenever  they  are  near,  hoping  for  a  coin  or  two  as  a  reward.  unbeknown  to  their  peers,  birdie  views  the  social  season  as  a playing field  but  when  holding  a  secret  such  as  they have no intention of returning to california,  it  would  be  best  to  keep  their  opinions  to  themselves. 

basic statistics :

full name : xiang huang ( 翔 黄).

alternatively : alberta huang.

nicknames or aliases : they are best known as birdie; they often use the alias robin stanford for their work.

age : twenty - seven.

date of birth : february 10th 1860.

occupation : socialite, heiress, artist.

parents : changyin 'chuck' huang (51), railroad tycoon and executive of the central pacific railroad + bernadette 'bernie' astor (48), daughter of the patriarch of the new york astor family.

siblings : charles (17), john (15), amaranthe (12), iris (10), indigo (10).

other familial relationships : montgomery astor ( maternal cousin ).

marital status : unmarried.

sexuality : bisexual.

the secret :

sacramento means a cage they have no interest in being contained in. they have delayed taking on the mantle of the family business for years, and all they want to is to run away from it - - the perfect escape comes in the form of the astor power in the city, and her own heavy wallet. since last season, they have began to rent a studio in which they receive guests to have their likeliness painted; due to the secrecy of it all, they have worn an alias when showing off their work, but it has not yet risen to the kind of sucess they'd need to convince themselves and their parents that this could be a way of life. this season must change this.

thoughts on high society :

birdie takes nothing too serious, and high society is nothing different. they only see what benefits them - - as an astor cousin, child one of the richest men in america, they have a leeway to their arrogance and indulgence and they use it as they see fit. they adore the socialization aspect of it all, and often search for subjects for their work amongst the people of the ton.

headcanons :

when chuck huang first went to new york, in the 50s, he may have went into the season expecting to land himself a wife, but he certainly didn’t expect to meet and fall for an astor. only the very fresh second generation of an immigrant family made rich by the gold rush, it was unlikely he would be the best fit for an astor daughter, yet bernie would always tell their story as a love story. for why else would she leave new york and go all the way to california? it was a new world, in all senses of the world. she had to acclimate to her husband’s state, culture, life.

thankfully, the affection they had for one another grew into respect and a partnership that would only grow chuck’s prospects though it was for his own self that he gained the one that would make him famous all around america: the central pacific railroad along with three friends, chuck became known to carry the project to build the first transcontinental railroad in northern america, a railroad that would cover from east to west. it was chuck who would hammer in the golden spike along the way; once it was driven in, and quickly removed, it would be returned to the huang home in sacramento, not the first and definitely not the last of their gilded objects around the lavish home.

birdie was born way before their father would come in renown. their home was already lavish and great, however, becoming of the huang name — and so was the child. named xiang, an auspicious name chosen by her grandfather, she was meant to soar high as the heir to such a great fortune. right away, bernie, her mother, refused to ever call the child xiang — she called her birdie, instead. isn’t it all the same? possible insensitivity would be washed away as the name became her own, even before her chinese name, or the english name attached to her school papers. that’s what she was: just birdie. they’ve always liked it better this way.

with so much wealth and influence on the tip of their fingers, birdie grew spoiled and indulged to ridiculous standards. all she wanted, she got; she had the opportunity to try horse riding, learn arithmetics, pick whatever language her heart desired, dance and paint and sing and all of that. to their mother’s dismay, most of the things they did, they did in the most basic of fashions but, at the very least, they did it enthusiastically which, theri father said, was a good thing. one needs to keep their spirits high in this world, even in front of failure, chuck would tell them. and so they did.

the one thing birdie liked above all was art. from finger painting, to sketching, to designing the most intricate paintings with oil, that was their calling in life. yet, the eldest by at least a decade, it was obvious that the huang family name would weight on their shoulders. instead of artistic pursuits, they were encouraged to take on practical ones, learn of engineering and architecture and railroads and all things they did not care about — railroads for them only mattered because it lead them to trains, and trains lead them to trips and trips lead them to wherever they wanted, far from their parents.

from the time they were old enough, they would go to spend the seasons in new york. their debut went splendid — at least four offers of marriage they laughed about; thankfully, their father was picky enough to allow her yet this one another fortune. whenever they’re in the city, they stay with their cousins, the astor, and never fail to enjoy what society has to offer. new york is better in every way to california, that they are certain of, and, as their university studies come to its end even as they try to drag it out, birdie thinks that they may just have to find a way to root them here instead of there, somehow.

connections :

astor acquaintaces, people they have met in former seasons

people who travel around!

muses - people who have sat for her or who have comissioned in the past or will be painted now!!

perhaps someone who wishes to take advantage of them or dislikes their carefree manner?

lovers - they are rather fickle hearted but are drawn to beauty so there's always the possibility of some flings and affairs over the years

[sondering]

#sondering— multi muse original character roleplay blog for @gildedfms, written by mina ( 21+, she/her )

birdie huang, 27, cousin of the astor family.

introduction / interactions.

efemena dormer, 27, eldest daughter of the dormer family.

introduction / interactions.

[sondering]

KRISTINE FROSETH IN THE BUCCANEERS

[sondering]

havana rose liu x the gotham awards 2023

[sondering]

YOUNG LADY DANBURY’s costumes in QUEEN CHARLOTTE: A BRIDGERTON STORY (2023)

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math people scare me. math people will be like "math works in mysterious ways TO YOU. i get it though." and they do and it's fucking terrifying.