On Gaia

Phoebe Isaac Ardagh, based on the articles, is the heir of one of the most renowned families in the city (unnamed because i suck at names). they’re known philanthropists, with the father being the champion of social goodwill, particularly regarding health and wellness, and the mother being a top professor in cognitive science. the two work mostly with various wellness services and contribute massively to the economy via donations, taxes, and investments on just causes. it also helps that they themselves founded one of the largest labs to study various aspects of the human brain, courtesy of Ms. Ardagh. Recipes for success, as you can see. Phoebe therefore learnt most of her business savvy stuff from them; immersed into high society and getting to witness several business dealings. even so her parents are kind enough to not force her into the limelight through business, rather having her take the spotlight via academic achievements and competitions. easier to make it seem she got in through her work and less on nepotism.

because of her rich upbringing, she gets to enjoy the more creative side of things. she learns about classical music, and gets the freedom to experiment with the violin. she can attend concerts and art houses and visit novelty stores, locations that cater towards the most successful and deserving. she can obssess over the banalities of life (she is very particular about rollerblades), experiment with style and be honest with her words. her brother experienced the same treatment and more, especially since she dotes on him.

in fact, one of the things that draw her to music is her brother’s excitement over them. they went to an orchestra once (parents got the tickets) and one of the songs played were,,, grand so to speak. energising, loud and very, very dramatic. it’s nothing out of the ordinary to her; it’s just one of the few other pieces she’ll have to learn eventually, but her very young brother, he’s very much excited. i think it’s this excitement is when she realises how much this means to her brother, so she learns more pieces of the kind in hooes to one day perform for her brother.

that day never came given the burning of some part of the lab. she and her brother were visiting when an accident happened, and her brother got trapped in the fire. and she lost her arm in the process. the news plastered her disfigured body all over, making it the start of her disdain for the limelight, but she knows it’s still important—her parents still accept deals with various publications after all. it’s only a few years later when she somehow uncovered files surrounding her brother’s death, and how censored it is. cause of death is altered, date of death never said, and when she combs through articles, she realises the detail of the second ardagh never came to be mentioned, even before his death. it’s all about her. and so her suspicion grew. this realisation happened when she was 16.

it kind of emboldened her to run, and she did try to. she packed her stuff and thought to just make herself missing, thinking that one day the public will consider her dead and she can investigate bit more freely. elijah stopped her though, stating no kid should be this brazen, especially not of her status. had the talk, elijah realised how stubborn phoebe is, and granted her the choice: give it at least a year, think it through, if you feel like the best decision is to run away, call me, and i will help you the best i can. is it stupid? honestly yea; this is a dangerous maneuver and actively putting a minor in danger but what can elijah do? phoebe’s going to run with or without his sayso. best way forward is to have her run with supervision… and to have her at least be more level-headed before she makes the decision.

and so she did by the time she’s 17. called eli, or arderon basically, and got her chip removed and her appearance altered as best they can. and from then on she struggled a lot. the streets don’t do well with pampered princesses who are all talk haha. and she’s so used to life without manual labor that it makes it hard for her to obtain the means to live in her current circumstances. well luckily for her she knows she can turn to elijah, and so he helps her a little bit for the first 6 months. phoebe, now going by gaia, managed to snag a deal with a small-time rock-electronic-fusion band who just lost their main guitarist. she bluffed saying she could play (well she can, a little), and the band just takes her in. it’s rare to find people capable enough to play instruments that they just accept anyone who shows some tidbit of competency. that’s her main source of income for the rest of the years. she built her name that way; renowned musician playing electric guitar.

but she can’t stay idle, there’s shit she needs to uncover. by 2 or 3 years or so, her name is well known enough that she can leverage on her own networks to do some digging on the side. she came up with the idea of creating a shelter for kids who fell under society’s cracks, in part to perhaps gain info on the government’s bullshit, and in part from genuine empathy. and so she did, leveraging her experience and notoriety. she gets backers from her network, and fragile trust from those who’ve seen her perform. the government is persuaded by her carefully plucked words and the confidence of her proxy. things work out. and by the time the main plot starts, North Star has been established for 1 year and is still ongoing.