On March 1, 2015; Alice could've sworn she'd been having another episode. It wasn't possible to just wake up with brown eyes instead of blue, or to suddenly find her quick mind full of memories she hadn't made. Diana Lowell lived in this flat -- whomever that was. Alice; known only by one name, was the girl who'd turned an entire backward world on its head. She'd sprinted toward angry queens and monsters, had logicked her way through Tweedles, and had been both ten and two feet tall. Being dropped into a life in Philadelphia was her trickiest puzzle yet. Who was Diana Lowell? Who was Alice? Once again, Absolem's great debate presented itself: Who are you?
The answer to such a question was something Alice inventoried daily for about two weeks, trying to find the flaw in the perfectly-crafted story -- not necessarily out of denial as much as it was a quest for an explanation as to what had happened. Memories she didn't recognize felt as real as growing ten sizes; childhood playmates on a Philadelphia playgrounds had giggled in the same ways as the wildflowers, and Diana's own troubled past had started to snake its roots into Alice's observed English aristocracy. It was all terribly confusing, really. She kept trying, doggedly determined, until it came time to actually function in what was now the real world.
Like she'd been doing it for years, Alice ordered her morning green-tea-latte (what?!) and drove to Drexel University. She attended classes, adhered to a schedule that she'd intuitively known.. It was a life and it was hers. The memories that came with it were tangled and gnarled -- some more disturbing than others; some things were scarier than Queens with cards, but there was also so much to love. There was freedom from a stuffy, English-countryside life.. One she wasn't quite sure she'd wanted to return to.
While Alice of old was (very much) a clever and wise child; Grimhilde's spell seems to have taken into consideration on Alice's headstrong, capable soul, and has given her a few years of life experience when giving her the life of Diana Lowell. Physically, she certainly isn't the Alice anyone remembers, but on the whole, Diana is recognizably just as energetic, intuitive, and adaptable as all the stories say. She is impulsive and selfless; a young woman that is notoriously quick to act, and equally quick to apologize when she realizes that she may have hurt someone in the leap she'd taken without looking. When this does happen, Diana ends up mistaken for someone irreverent, thoughtless, or inconsiderate. In the heat of a debate, she can be pedantic, prone to harp on technicalities and semantics, and thoroughly enjoys the thrill of being right. She questions everything, and gets along best with cerebral, abstract-thinkers; Diana is always thirsty for knowledge, perspective, and adventure. Receiving the life of a former wildchild seems to suit her just fine.
As for what she's retained from her home tale(s), Alice's still has a significant degree of intellect (she can count cards, decode logic puzzles/anagrams with astounding ease, and find herself at home in deep meditation), and youthful athleticism (in lieu of growing and shrinking ten sizes, she's rather gifted with yoga; additionally, wielding the vorpal blade has given her a certain degree of proficiency with swords -- she just doesn't know about that second part). Alice is and always has been quite human.. Just a daring, adventurous one at that.
quick references: chaotic good. INFP. gemini. deer. sanguine.
Diana Lowell, 28, is a graduate student at Drexel University, and currently works as a teacher's aide in the art history department. In her spare time, she teaches yoga & transcendental meditation, and is often found spending time with friends. Diana's parents are an English military man and a New York socialite-heiress, which means that Diana is sitting on a pile of family money (one she stubbornly refuses to touch). A military brat who experimented with hallucinogenic drugs, Diana was known for counting cards using less-than-altruistic means of gaining some sort of income in her early university years. Since then, she has cleaned up her act considerably (not without the perfunctory awful trip and subsequent trauma). Years later, she still loves things like electronica and giving herself over to sensation, but she's also come to love abstract art, museums, people-watching, number puzzles, heady independent art films, tea, boxing, and cross-country running. Related, Diana is and always has been prone to overthinking and asking too many questions, triple-checking her work, and falling into a sense of righteous indignation.
