Name: Suzume Shion
Gender: Female
Marital Status: This
is a Miai..
Occupation: Miya Entertainment Network Musician/ Producer
Age: 19
Height: 5'4"
Complexion: Slightly tanned
Build: Androgynous, bit on the skinny side
Hair: Light brown, medium-sized, a bit wild, often tied in a simple knot
Eyes: Brown, somewhat distant
Homeworld: Rokugan
Shion: a PrimerSuzume Shion (雀 詩音) is the youngest of two children of an unimportant Sparrow family used to their usual duties as custodians of the history and traditions of the sacred Rokugani home planet. Raised in the family’s simple ways – traditional fighting styles, Rokugani religion and history, and Suzume storytelling – the plain-looking, quiet and otherwise unremarkable Shion developed a charming, melodic voice and a knack and profound interest for music.
Shion seized the opportunities provided by her sensei to learn as much as she could, and, while she learned to value classical Rokugani culture and music, her musical interests would not be contained within the limits of tradition, leading her to seek whatever technology she could to find her way through a variety of styles, traditional and moern, from different parts of the sprawling empire.
Recently, her talents drew the interest of people in the Miya News and Entertainment Network, who hired her as a musician and music producer. Her work gives Shion access to equipment she wouldn’t have otherwise, and means she is more well-off than most Suzume – but she’s still a Sparrow at heart, humble and unassuming in behaviour and style. She has been mostly in the background in the Network, writing and recording songs and doing sound editing for a number of programmes, but they probably consider her too pedestrian to be one of their faces. Not that Shion seems to care – she loves to create, and she might like to be heard more, but she doesn’t care much for being seen.
Her going to Asakaze was an arrangement between people in the Miya Network and representatives of the Sparrow clan, who seem to hope she can strengthen the clan’s connections with Imperials. On her part, Shion knows she owes the Miya for her position and for sponsoring her presence in Asakaze, and expects they may have plans for her presence there. She is not ecstatic about taking part in a Miai, but hopes it may at least provide an opportunity to see new things and people – and learn more about the local music scene. Perhaps she may even end up with someone who may match her interests…
DescriptionDespite adopting a more modern style than many of the more traditional members of her clan, Shion is still a Sparrow at heart, sticking to simple, unassuming, practical clothes. She will usually be seen in a sturdy set of black trousers with a simple white or brown T-shirt and a brown and dark green jacket with some yak fur (a nod to some Unicorn ancestry long ago in her line) and an embroidered sparrow on the left side of her back. The velvety sheen in her other set of trousers and jacket is slightly less plain and left for special occasions. She often has her earphones on, and frequently carries around a Shamisen, a Guitar, or a small Keyboard + her computer.
While not sickly, Shion’s build is on the skinny side, and her wardrobe, her lack of obvious curves and her aversion to makeup give her a decidedly androgynous look. She usually uses a cloth band to tie her medium-sized, straight light brown hair in a simple knot at the back of her head, although she may use other ornaments or even flowers to adorn her hair in particular occasions.
Shion almost always has by her side a slender, mid-sized mutt with a wiry, black/ brown coat, semi-pricked ears and a long, happy tail which is constantly waggling when he’s near her, which she calls simply “stray”. Stray is a bit wary when others approach Shion, but is quite docile if he senses they mean no harm. Despite the dog’s apparently dismissive name, her often stoic nature is considerably softened when she’s talking to or playing with him, and she’ll open up somewhat to those who show appreciation for the mutt.
Hooks• More interested in doing things/ going places than in the Miai proper? So is she.
• Into music? Shion’s your person. She’ll talk about music styles, history, artists and different things going on in the music scene non-stop if you let her.
• Need someone for a music or performance gig? She’ll do it.
• Quiet, but still a sparrow. Ask for a story and you will get one.
• Liked the soundtrack of that show on the Miya Entertainment Network? You've probably never seen her, but she may have been behind it.
• Like dogs? So does she.
• Tradition or modernity? Why not both?
• How do you get a quiet country bumpkin to play sports with you? You just ask!
ShionStray, the mutt