#neitherbird

                                  「 SWAN 」

       [18]  •  NEITHER  •  UNCAGED •  [MEDICINE]

BIO:

Let others be blinded by your facade, at least they have something pretty to look at. Oh, a world made of gold and opals, as shimmering as the insides of sea shells and as brightly coloured as the home of Louis XIV. Servants kneeling, dresses as fabulous as the dawn and as elegant as twilight, honour and beauty to your name. A name, spoken in awe, a spell cast upon you and embracing you until midnight chimes. That is what you dream of. What you've always dreamt of. Someone beautiful and free to be there for you. Back then, when you looked into the mirror, you felt betrayed. When you looked at your family, you felt betrayed. When you looked down the street of where you grew up, you felt betrayed. No diamonds; you were surrounded by rhinestones. They looked the same, but they were little pieces of lies. So you put on your rose-tinted glasses to make the grass a little greener, and decided to take matters into your own hand.

Secrets. Lies like dark veils hiding the truth, plunging it into darkness, making sure no one would ever see what you were truly made out of. Peace, privilege, solidarity, luck. Those were the things you required to reach your world made of dreams. Dreams that were constructed on ideals written by others and told to you in sighs. Fairy tales, so to say. But dreams, which you chose to believe in. And no one was allowed to stand between you and them. A world in which to trust and rely on others, how hard can it be to find it? Sometimes you wonder if you found it now, but then you are not so sure if your own secrets of how you got here wouldn't need to be revealed too, for the trust and loyalty you long for to be mutual. Then again. It is so easy to hold up a mirror to those dreamlike friends, and make them think someone is returning their genuine smiles. Ah, let them be blinded by your facade, at least they won't be tempted to look behind it.

TRAITS:

GRAND • CURSED • SHORT-TEMPERED • OVERPROTECTIVE • MAGNIFICENT

CONNECTIONS:

ABOUT OWL: “A liar recognises a liar, you know. Usually, if I saw someone like them, you wouldn't even bother looking at them. They're so plain and weird, as though they inhabit a totally different world than me. But since I saw them before our first Volière meeting, I knew that if they were to get invited back, then I'd have to keep a close look on them. It's as though they know too much. And as though they want to know even more...”

ABOUT MOCKINGBIRD: “They have no sense of aesthetic, do they? It's ridiculous, you listen to what they have to say, hear of all the things they're capable of, and you imagine this monarch to appear. Instead you find yourself in front of a peasant. And such a rude one too. Really, whenever I look at them, I get this bad urge of making something out of them. After all ... I was just like them once, wasn’t I?”

ABOUT MAGPIE: “They're the kind of person you know will be accepted into the Volière. I mean, I know next to nothing about them yet, but blessed be, are they beautiful! It's like looking into a shiny mirror. I hope to befriend them as soon as possible, our connection will suit the Volière a lot.”

                              「 ALBATROSS 」

[AGE] • NEITHER • CAGED • [MAJOR]

BIO:

If there's too much space, how are you supposed to fill it? At first you thought the world was big, too big, the neighbourhood bearing too many secrets, the town too many dark corners, the universe too many infinite edges. And it made you feel small. You were sure, you'd forever feel too small in it. The opportunities too great to choose easily, the dangers to powerful to fight them, the dreams too grand to reach them. There were so many paths to take, so many voices to obey to, so many people to become, what were you supposed to choose? What was the right thing to do? Who could you trust, if you couldn't trust yourself? You wanted to search, to seek, to go out and find who you were supposed to be, but your limbs were so heavy, your heart so lame and jittery, that bit by bit, you remained frozen to your spot, unmoving. With your eyes shut out of fear, you didn't see that wile the world remained the same, you grew.

Preoccupied by how to live life, you didn't notice how you were already living it. Then one day you opened your eyes, and they grew wide. Suddenly the world seemed too small, with walls around you, confining you, holding you captured, keeping you from imagining everything could be. There used to be a million of horizons, now there was only one, and it seemed so close. Too close to keep the perspective right. Air became thin. Resources scarce. Your life had become huge, so ready, so done, so decided, that it was as though every movement you did now, could be your last. Each step forward was definite, carrying you too far. Far, but was it the right direction? Oh, day by day it became scarier and scarier to spread your wings now. Once upon a time, there had been so much space and possibilities, but now it's time to choose who you wanted to be, and you feel claustrophobic. Who are you? Who do you want to be? No, it's not a matter of lacking space, it's a matter of not knowing how to fill it properly.

TRAITS:

ANXIOUS • DOUBTFUL • LIKEABLE • MAJESTIC IF GIVEN THE CHANCE • TALENTED

CONNECTIONS:

ABOUT SWALLOW: "Wow... Aren't they beautiful? So delicate and sweet, so talented and skilled. I always feel a bit clumsy, like I'm too loud and too big for whatever room I'm in, but Swallow never seems to mind. They're one of the only ones who doesn't make snarky comments all the time. I guess that's why I like being by their side so much."

ABOUT PEACOCK: "They think themselves as elegant as Swallow, but really, they're nothing but pretty feathers and an empty brain. Sometimes I wish I could bring myself to shut them up, but something about their mean comments always makes me wonder if maybe they're right and I am not worthy to be in the Volière...”

ABOUT HUMMINGBIRD: "I proudly elected them into their leading position. The snarky members like them because they are beautiful enough for the Volière, and the lovely members like them because they're kind enough. Their working moral is great too. If it came down to new elections, I'd always vote for them again.”

                                  「 PIGEON 」

        [AGE]  •   NEITHER  •  CAGED •  [MAJOR]

BIO:

It is in the dirt that gold can be found. Yet, to them, it would forever only be dirt. ‘You could make it so far,’ they’d say to you, over and over again, ‘if only you tried.' But you couldn't be bothered. You didn't try to get out. You didn't try to fight its pull, to become more, to get far away from the dirty ground. Yes, you saw how white and clean other people's feathers could be but what was the point to be a human made of gold and starlight shimmer, if there was no liberty? You were happy down here in the dirt, with your fingers quick, your tongue sharp and your gaze so piercing that it was as though they saw everything all the time. You were good at surviving, at using your skills to get what you wanted, to slip through the small spaced words of restricting rules, so why would you want more?

No, you never cared about this world of silver spooned mouths, sports cars and minds so privileged they considered crimes a worthy expense worth a day of pocket money. But when you suddenly you found yourself in it, and by the mighty sun you had no idea how you had gotten here, you learnt of a whole new feeling: Comfort. Comfort as soft and as gently embracing as a duvet in cold winter times, comfort like the hug of a loving mother, comfort like knowing your door is locked and no one unwated can ever enter. Comfort, the way you had never experienced. Power, privilege, yes that came too, but oh, the protection was what made you stay. And into their soft arms you let yourself fall, closing your eyes and exhaling in relief the way you had not been able to do it for years. Yet you can't help but wonder; how long until admist all this gold, you will find some dirt?

TRAITS:

OPPORTUNISTIC • ADAPTABLE • LOYAL • FRIENDLY • INCONSPICUOUS

CONNECTIONS:

ABOUT CANARY: "They're sweet, aren't they? Some say they're a bit too stupid for the Volière, and maybe that's true, but I like them anyway. They make you feel appreciated, and when they talk to you, it's as though nothing else in the world matters to them in that moment. It’s nice to see people who are just content. With where they are, what they are, who they are. All this ambition is gonna get us all killed eventually. Being able to relax and enjoy the sun, is that not the highest of virtues?"

ABOUT CUCKOO: "Must you ask me about them..? I-... Part of me thinks I'll never be able to forgive them for what they did to me, the way I taught them so much about how to fit into places, about getting what you want, about being happy even in crappy situations, the way they just left me the moment something better came along, the way they've ignored me ever since... But part of me also wonders if things couldn't go back to normal. It might've been me who nominated them for the Volière..."

ABOUT PARROT: "I'm not sure I like that they were nominated. Yes, they fit perfectly, but that's just it, isn't it? They're here for the legacy, never have they worked for anything in their life, and they're not very independent and smart either, now, are they? If they get in, then because of their parents. It feels a bit unfair, doesn't it? And I know what I’m talking about, after all, is that not how I kinda made it in?"

                                  「 HAWK 」

        [AGE]  •  NEITHER  •  CAGED •  [MAJOR]

BIO:

If no one hands you the things you deserve, you have to go take them yourself. No, you're life was not miserable. No, you didn't suffer. No, you were not deprived of sunshine, smiles and candy. But did that stop you from wanting more? From seeking perfection, demanding betterment and striving for jealousy-inducing execution in every single project you deemed worthy of your attention? Does one always need the bad to dream of good? Of better? Of the best? Do only the sick long for health? Is it not enough to see the comparison between what is and what could be? Can motivation not emerge from the deep-ingrained knowledge, this pond of frozen belief, that only the stratosphere can limit you? Your name might not have come with rights to rule from above by default, but it came with the skill to fight for it.

You never gave in and you never gave up. You ran from class to tutoring to midnight shifts, you fought with smarts and wits and cunningness, you raised hands and voice, debated and argued for the shiniest of all letters, this great, admirable A. You worked and worked and worked to get to where you are now, sleep came in secondary, because as long as your feet carried you, why put them up for rest? You left friends behind when they dragged you, attached yourself to those who seemed to know better, to want more, turned your back on those who might've needed your help when they didn't provide any help to you anymore. Ruthless they called you. But you didn't care. No, you didn't care. All you cared about was the peak of the mountain and the throne waiting for you there. A throne, a ceptre and an apple. Power. Yes. There was power at the end of that path, and this power belonged to you. You had worked for it. Every single step taking into its direction had been an action of determination and strength. You deserved it. And if no one handed it to you like it handed it to so many incompetent idiots with nothing but a valuable name? Well, you'd just have to go take it yourself.

TRAITS:

PERCEIVING • SHARP-TONGUED • SKILLED • RELENTLESS • UNFORGIVING

CONNECTIONS:

ABOUT MALLARD: "Don’t tell them but... I always knew they'd make it in, and when the others voted for them to make them Head of Cage, it didn't surprise me. It frustrates me though. Here I am, fighting for a spot at the top, and all they have to do is smile at someone to win them over. And you know what frustrates me even more? The fact that I fall for that smile every time too..."

ABOUT EAGLE: "They have no sense of direction, of hard work, of determination. They only want my seat because they think they deserve it, but being born into privilege doesn't make you more worthy of it. Who cares if they'd be a grand leader, they'd do it only to prove a point. I'll make very sure they stay out of my way."

ABOUT SHRIKE: "I haven't figured out yet who nominated them, but it worries me. Their interview made me question their intentions a lot. Of course, they're as reckless, ruthless and relentless as I am, but they're also like Eagle, a child of six generations of alumnis. So what if all this is just a facade because they know what it takes to get in? Or worse. What if they truly do have a goal to reach, and this goal won't benefit the Volière at all? Either way, I have to keep an eye on them. Test their loyalty.”

                                     「 OWL 」

      [AGE]  •  NEITHER  •  UNCAGED •  [MAJOR]

BIO:

How to become your own Library of Alexandria? Your own treasure trove of truths? Of information? Of infinite knowledge? How to be self-sufficient and tied to no one's 'if's and 'maybe's and vague beliefs? Step one, realise that the knowledge already gathered on this world is finite. Finite, because the world remains alive, while the knowledge-seekers die. So much exists within this world, while all existence willing to find out about it, must eventually stop existing. If you search properly, you will find an end to all research, yet never an end to all questions. Questions? They are born with each second this earth turns. Thus, step two, never cease asking questions. Note them down, hold onto them, make them last and ignore all that doesn't matter, live by the doctrine of pure thirst for information. And lastly, step three, go out to answer the questions yourself.

You wrote your first scientific papers before the age of ten, analysing the small doubts of life first, later the big ones with more resources. No question ever asked could be brushed aside, no frown was ever given up on, no curiosity was left unstilled. You won prizes and recognition, though cared for none. Why would you? You didn't find truths for other people. The Library of Alexandria did not exist for fame or fortune. There was only the cause itself that mattered; the need to produce knowledge for generations yet to come. Even if that meant to use newspapers to expose dirty secrets of family, friends and ... certain societies. Secrets were lies. Infiltration first, exposure second. Truth was all that mattered, it had to be brought forth, and you let nothing stand in your way to become your own Library of Alexandria.

TRAITS:

INTELLIGENT • STUDIOUS • CURIOUS • ISOLATED • INDELICATE

CONNECTIONS:

ABOUT SHRIKE: "I researched everyone after meeting them during the tasks, especially after the Masquerade Ball when I was sure who was still in the running, and, I don't know why, but I researched a little about Shrike, and some things just don't add up. They don't strike me as someone who cares about societies, and yet they're so openly eager to get in. I'll have to keep an eye on that."

ABOUT SWAN: “It amuses me terribly what kind of people you meet when you take a closer look at secret societies. Especially Swan. No sense of humbleness, all they care about is glamour and the perfect life. Emptiness resides within them. How I know? Well, no matter how much I research, I can’t find any information on their life, who they are. Not that I care, of course. I don’t get blinded by pretty faces...”

ABOUT PIGEON: "They're the opposite of Swan. While for Swan, I can understand why the Volière would look for their type, Pigeon confuses me. There seems to be nothing about them that screams: 'Privilege, Power, Protection'. And yet. Also, though this won't be mentioned in my final paper, I think they're quite nice, don't you? There's something ... homely about them. Almost a bit sad that they’re in the Volière, it’ll hurt to shred them to pieces."

                                 「 MOCKINGBIRD 」

        [19] •  NEITHER  •  UNCAGED •  [COMPSCI]

BIO:

When pushed into the shade, you've got no choice but to befriend the shadows. At first, it was a life spent together, spent in the sun, in the heat of a summer holiday's afternoon, it was a life full of perks and sheep clouds passing easily by. Popscicles eaten on lawn chairs, music played from old radios, shoes blackened to make them look sleek and expensive. It was a good life. A sunny life. But then you watched him grow bigger than you, faster than you, brighter than you, and you were left behind. Pushed off your seat, off your place, off your rightfully earned spot in the sun. He had everything, everything he wanted, everything he needed, yet everything you deserved just as much. He was holding his face up to the sun while you stood in his shadow, shivering, while he was glowing of Summer. Quickly, you learnt how fast warmth can turn into ice when you're forgotten in the shade. Too quickly.

You had no choice. If they didn't see you on top, you had to own the bottom with pride. You had to pull your lawnchair there, and sit where others flinched. Not because you wanted to, but because you had to. And you had to make them believe that it wasn't because you had to, but because you wanted to. Crossing your arms you made them believe you were the one refusing the spot in the sunshine. Snark became your parasol, scoffs and eyerolls your dark-tainted glasses, rebellion against everything too bright your suncream. It was easy not to shiver when you were the one to order the cold. At least you wanted to believe that. One could almost think you were born all the way down there by the way you had chosen to fight a war against all the light up here. That no one comprehended, you didn't care. You had chosen your spot, and you held it with pride. After all, when accepting the shade, the shadows at least offered you one of their seats.

TRAITS:

DOWN-TO-EARTH • DISINGENUOUS • SARCASTIC • CYNICAL • REBELLIOUS

CONNECTIONS:

ABOUT DOVE: “If they make the peace sign at me one more time, I'm going to snip of their fingers myself. Seriously. I mean, politically, they're not wrong. And they're not stupid either. In fact, I'm sure that out of the whole Volière bunch, they'll be the most educated. But gosh, how can they be so naive? It's not with peace and love and lots of hope that all that shit is just going to get better.”

ABOUT PARROT: "They make me laugh. They're such a good example of everything that's wrong with the Volière. You got perfectly intelligent kids, good-looking, hard-working, and genuinely nice kids, and this idea of having to be on top of the world makes them dumb, parroting and ruinous. If I could just grab them by their shoulders and be like: Hey, buddy, you're beautiful enough, stop trying to be someone you're not...”

ABOUT SHRIKE: "Sometimes I think out of all the invited students, I'm the only one who hates the idea of the Volière. And I guess at first I thought Shrike was just like everyone else too, but ... now I'm not so sure. I know them from somewhere, a long while ago, and I can't shake the feeling like they hate all this as much as I do. I'll have to get to know them, that's for sure.”