Bubblegum Quasar

Race: Miqo'te

Culture: Unknown

Apparent Age: 17 (true age unknown)

Main Class: White Mage

Pre Edge of Dawn
Little is known about Bubblegum prior to the Calamity, even to her. For all intents and purposes, her history begins when she was close to twelve years of age and awoke in the burning ruin of the Black Shroud. Unable to recall anything prior to that moment – her home, her family, her name, or even what has caused such devastation – she wandered until she found a ragged group of survivors and followed them to Gridania. There she stayed for a time, one of many refugees, initially unable to comprehend what had happened to her. She had suffered a head wound and held out hope that her memory would return as her injury healed, but as time wore on, it became apparent that her amnesia would not be done away with so easily.

Nonetheless, she remained optimistic. When time alone proved no help, she began to read any text she found. It was from these texts that she drew inspiration for her new name: Bubblegum for a confection from a faraway land that just happened to perfectly match her hair and fur, and Quasar for her energy and brightness. After all, she had reasoned, it would not do to go without a name if one was to register with any guilds.

And register she did. After books failed to spark her memory, she began registering with different guilds in hopes that she had once known a craft, and by relearning it she may remember it. Further, as the guilds were far from each other, she hoped she would find someplace familiar in her travels. As voracious as her appetite for knowledge was, she proved to be mediocre at best in practical application: she was too clumsy and too easily distracted to perfect any one art. Perhaps this was a consequence of her head injury, or perhaps still just some quirk of her personality. Her failure was not for want of trying, nor was she easily discouraged. Still, she seemed unable to progress much past novice stages of any art, and her lost memory still eluded her, despite her travels across Eorzea.

Despite being in close proximity to other refugees, who at least explained to her the details of the Calamity, they were never more than polite to her. She was extremely friendly – sometimes overly so – and relentlessly cheerful, but anyone who spoke with her kept their distance as if her amnesia was contagious. It wasn’t until about a year after the Calamity that she met anyone she could call ‘friend.’

As it happened, she was back in the Black Shroud, attempting to fight off a particularly angry ladybug and failing miserably. She was trying a new art – conjury – and was proving to be just as bad at it as she was the other crafts she had tried. The ladybug had already knocked her down several times, and she had resorted to yelling at it and swinging her cane at it like a club. It was then a considerably more skilled conjurer stepped in, healing Bubblegum’s wounds and dispatching the troublesome insect in the space of seconds. Perhaps if the mage had it her way, she would have turned and gone and never spoken to the other miqo’te she had effectively rescued, but Bubblegum followed after her, thanking her enthusiastically. After a time, they shared their stories, learning that despite the vast differences in their demeanors, their histories were extremely similar: Both had lost their families in one fashion or another, and both had been alone since the Calamity. Bubblegum and the mage (a young woman named Aroa Khah) shared a camp that night, and have travelled together ever since, coming to regard each other as sisters.



It was with Aroa’s help that Bubblegum was finally able to learn any crafts properly. Aroa’s ambition in the field of conjury (specifically healing) made her an excellent teacher, and under her tutelage Bubblegum became a competent healer herself. Aroa, having effectively raised the younger Bubblegum, also taught her to improve her focus, and so she was able to learn other arts as well, albeit a bit more slowly than most, as her attention did – and still – wanders, albeit far less.

Present Day
Ever curious, Bubblegum happened upon a member of Edge of Dawn by chance as he was studying a structure across the water from Swiftperch. She had inquired as to why he was staring across the water, and in the course of his explanation and subsequent introduction, she learned his name (Venix’a Azurenyte) and that he was active in an Expedition Free Company called Edge of Dawn. Intrigued by his description of the company’s activity and excited at the prospect of access to further text and travel, Bubblegum offered to join, perhaps a little over-eagerly. Aroa, her constant protector, had been wary of the man, but begrudgingly agreed to join alongside her sister, ostensibly to keep her safe. For her part, Bubblegum hoped she may learn something of her past, but was also hopeful that perhaps Aroa may make some friends. Alas, it was not to be. Some months after joining, Bubblegum awoke to find her sister gone, the fire cold, and her things missing. She searched for a time, but there was always a lingering question of whether she'd left willingly. There had been no sign of a struggle, and she thought from time to time she saw a head of familiar blue hair, but never close. Eventually, she gave up looking, and now seeks to reinforce her new-found friendships within the company.

To date, she has not recovered her memory, but has redoubled her efforts to reclaim her lost history.



((more to follow))

