The Rebel

The Rebel
Character Name: Timothy Yufei Liu Character Pronouns: he/him Character Title: Mr. Player Name and Pronouns:Linny, she/her Sponsor: Apphrodite Class:Upper Profession: Eventual lawyer, helping to run family shipping business. Current law student/rich kid Studying Abroad. Additional Information:

Timothy's family made its money on the West coast of the US in shipping. He grew up living a privileged, worldly life -- the best tutors money could buy, vacations in Europe and China, a life full of opportunities. It took a bit for him to understand he was... different.

It started off small -- he could wrap his nurses and governesses around his little finger, convince them to do just about anything, and get out of trouble with his parents every time. He didn't start to question it until he got a tutor at the age of twelve -- Professor Sibelius -- who seemed to not be as impacted by his charms. Professor Sibelius was demanding, precise, and provided Timothy with a firm foundation in Eastern and Western philosophy. Timothy took to this first attempt to bring him to heel, and found he had a taste for philosophy -- he furthermore started a journey of self-reflection and contemplation, becoming somewhat more serious and thoughtful in the process, turning away from his manipulative ways -- and when he turned fifteen and learned about his true parentage, a few things clicked into place.

He realized, with no small amount of horror and revulsion, that he'd used his God-given powers to manipulate and control others around him for his own benefit for most of his life. A few particular incidents stood out to him and haunted him -- times where he'd gotten people to go against their own principles, where he hadn't thought about their dignity or respected their autonomy -- and while he could claim ignorance about the fact that his powers were God-given, and knew that there were times he'd acted on instinct, the consequences were still plain. He also saw echoes of his childhood self in his Godly father, and felt a certain sense of shame for his earlier flightiness and callousness. He caused harm to others -- in a few cases, caused servants to lose their jobs -- the thought of which still causes him pain.

Thanks to his firm foundation in philosophy and a tutor with a will of iron, he had the ability to recognize what he'd done, and develop a sense of how he wanted to morally proceed -- to practice the art of self-control unless necessary, and to make a conscious choice about how to use his powers. (He also gave anonymously to help those he'd disgraced to make some amends.) He's a charitable sort - channeling his natural generosity into good works, and trying to use his charm to convince other people in positions of privilege to do right by the world.

Timothy is a romantic at heart -- but there's an interesting tension there, where he craves intimacy -- true intimacy -- and also doesn't entirely trust himself, or people who are friendly to him. His first impulse when he really cares for someone is to step back in person (almost to the point of being cold -- he over-corrects sometimes), and 'befriend from a distance' -- under the belief that if he connects with someone through letters, the connection is more true, and due to actual mutual interest instead of their being swayed by his natural charm and appearance. He wants a North Star -- someone who will love him by choice -- but right now, he's unsure as to whether that is truly possible.

"With your sponsor as the god of love, you’re naturally incredibly charming. You have a force of personality that has always opened doors and brought smiles to the faces of others. It would be easy for you to be just like your flirty, flighty, and feckless patron. And that is exactly why you don't want to. You want to rebel--by being a decent and above all else stable person."