Sonnie Wu

• Striking Looks ●●
  (Playful)

History

Life Before Arcadia

Alison Jiang was born and raised in San Francisco. She didn't have much to look forward to in life, or rather, nothing that she wanted. Her parents were very controlling, and had ambitious plans for their daughter. Straight A's were expected. Proper manners, piano lessons, dance lessons, the list went on. Mom and Dad had even picked out the boy she would marry after high school. "A handsome Chinese boy from a wealthy family," her mother said, but even he turned out to be just a rich jackass.

By senior year, Alison was screaming inside. She felt smothered. Suffocated. Ali loved her parents, and she knew they loved her, but they wouldn't listen to her. She didn't even know who she really was yet, and knew that she'd never find out if she stayed on her parents' life track. So, 18 years old and with no money, Alison packed a bag one night and ran for the nearest bus station.

She never made it there. A band of Privateers found her first.

Durance

The Screaming Jungle, a vast, lush rain forest that is as deadly as it is beautiful. Surrounded by high mountain ranges on all sides, colorful in both sight and sound, this jungle is home to predators and prey of all sorts. Alison was flung, naked and terrified, into this steaming wilderness. The privateers just sneered and told her to fend for herself. When the time was right, her new master would find her.

Alone and lost and crying for home, Ali struggled to get by. She had no survival skills, but she had to learn fast. Thankfully, Ali was clever enough to realize the treetops provided shelter, food and safety. She climbed and hid. She feasted on the abundant fruits (as weird as most of them were) and did her best to avoid the strange creatures that prowled the undergrowth and the branches. In time, Alison changed. She became faster and more agile. She learned the ways of the jungle. She began to forget about home and her parents. Soon, Alison Jiang ceased to be, and there was only a monkey in her place.

And finally her Keeper, the Great Multicolored Prince, came hunting. Lord of the Screaming Jungle, this Beast Among Beasts lived to hunt these animalistic Lost his privateers provided. When he approached, the usually noisy jungle fell frighteningly silent. The monkey that had once been a girl came to dread the silence. Part ape, part tiger, part bird of prey, the Prince stalked his new prey. By her cleverness and agility, and perhaps by some small miracle, the monkey managed to evade her Keeper. Sometimes she would just barely escape his talons. Other times she lucked out when the Prince caught the scent of another unfortunate Beast and stalked them instead.

Escape

Years must have passed, but the monkey couldn't tell. There was only day and night, months and years meant nothing here. There were no seasons. As she climbed and leapt and swung through the Screaming Jungle, fleeing the Great Multicolored Prince (and sometimes other Beasts), an idea began to form in her primate brain. Those mountains, which seemed to keep the jungle contained like a border, caught her imagination. If they were a border, then there must be something on the other side. Safety? Escape? Tasty fruits and bugs?

One way to find out. The monkey climbed. She was very good at climbing, but these mountains were strange and harsh in a different manner than the trees of the jungle. Still, she climbed, and somewhere in her primal mind she hoped the Prince didn't notice her ascent. Again, luck was on her side. The monkey made it high enough to reach a cavern system that led her through the range and to far side. The Hedge. A different sort of wilderness, but one she leapt towards with curiosity and relief!

Life After Arcadia

When the monkey eventually climbed out of the Hedge and found herself back in the mortal realm, she wasn't a monkey anymore. She was human again! Well, mostly. Some of Alison was still monkey-like. Panicking, she fled home. Her parents must have missed her all this time! Surely they'd forgive her and help her with her deformities! She'd be safe at home again!

But that wasn't an option. To her horror, the Beast witnessed her parents with a young woman who looked exactly like her, if a few years older. A woman apparently married to that wealthy jerk, and happily! But it wasn't really Alison Jiang. It couldn't be. It was some sort of... imposter? Did the Prince replace her with some weird creature?

This... this thing was living the life she had abandoned! And loving it! Look at it! Her parents were happy, it was happy. In that moment, Monkey-Alison had a realization. Her weird replacement could have her old life. She hadn't wanted it anyway. It was only fear and confusion that made her desire to return. Determined but sad, the Beast left her family be.

The local changelings found her and helped her get oriented. They told her the basics of Lost life, inducted her into the Spring Court, and set her up with a new identity. Her new nature had caused her to become enamored of the old Chinese story Journey to the West and it's monkey hero, Sun Wukong. So, the young Beast became Sonja "Sonnie" Wu, a play on the character's name.

Sonnie took to the road for a while, wandering here and there, seeking adventure and new horizons. She met new people, explored the Hedge, and fought both humans and hobs. She learned kung fu and staff fighting, just like Sun Wukong. This was what she wanted. Freedom. The Spring Courtier found herself in her journeys. She was just a freewheeling monkey girl in search of fun and friends.

Still, she missed her family, and eventually Sonnie found herself back in California. Deciding she shouldn't get too close to her Fetch, Sonnie looked to set up shop in Sacramento. Finding a job with a small local courier company, Sonnie can earn a living while still roaming the city.

Sonnie likes the city. It's active and full of interesting stuff. And it's noisy, which she finds comforting. Sudden silences still terrify her.

Fun Facts

Note: None of these should be taken as facts. Probably.

Favorite Band: Gorillaz

Favorite Movie: Planet of the Apes

Favorite Video Game: Donkey Kong Country

Favorite Anime: Dragon Ball Z