This ask and a similar one were in my askbox for a while – long enough for me to change up Liana’s story so she doesn’t die anymore, but I’ll still talk about what happens to her here!

Liana is Lucian and Dahlia’s middle child and the childhood friend of Isolde, Zoey and Candice’s only daughter. The two set out on their journeys as coordinators together and began a friendly rivalry, pushing each other to grow and improve with each contest.

However, later on in their journey around Sinnoh, the two end up having a huge falling out after Liana overhears Isolde telling some older coordinators bad things about her. Isolde tries to tell Liana that she was only trying to get on their good side and didn’t mean any of what she said, but Liana feels betrayed and tells Isolde she’s going to travel alone from now on.

Not wanting to remain near Isolde for the time being, Liana sets out for the next city, Snowpoint, that night. She’s in such a rush to depart and in such a poor emotional state that she doesn’t notice the warnings of hazardous conditions and an incoming storm. In the middle of Route 217, Liana is caught in a blizzard. Unable to see and realizing she might get lost, she tries to find shelter and wait out the storm.

Originally, she ends up succumbing to hypothermia and is not found for a long time, which leads to Isolde quitting coordinating and Liana’s family struggling to cope with the loss, affecting them each in different ways. However, as I am apparently incapable of killing of fankids permanently, I began to feel apathetic about this storyline, which definitely shouldn’t happen with such a serious plot point.

So, in order to keep things sort of similar, but also have Liana remain alive, I decided to go the route of her almost dying, but becoming a yokai instead. This route allows me to explore the supernatural/fantasy side of my AU more and also would be a major change for Liana and her friends and family to adjust to. As she was stuck in the snow, Liana becomes a yuki-onna, or snow woman. In legends, this spirit is often predatory, attacking travelers and freezing them or leading them astray in the snow. However, more recent depictions of this spirit, especially in modern pop-culture, can portray her as more benevolent.

Liana, retaining her kind nature from her time as a human, is in the latter category – a modern yokai who gets along better with humans than her elders. All the same, going through such a life-changing event means that Liana can no longer live the same way she used to. She now has to remain in cold climates or risk her health, and her entire perception and experience of the world is different. It’s a lot for both her and her family (and Isolde, of course) to adjust to, which is something I’m still working on. There will definitely be more to come about Liana and her story!