Current
That was the worst three months of my life. Health is close to normal again. Here's to making the insurance company cry!
1
like
3 yrs ago
"Your copay today is $20,000" How about no.
3
likes
5 yrs ago
Well, the "I am but an ally" to "queer af" pipeline is real.
Bio
I have gone by many names over my life, and the one I go by here is Nori.
I am a non-binary individual who has a love of participating in these stories and creating my own. I am incredibly chronically ill. If my illness flares up too much I may be pulled away.
Tyler was leaning back against the drink bar, with both elbows on the top, and his face betrayed that he was utterly bored. The music was nothing more than basic party drivel, those who danced to it lacked rhythm and skill, and worst of all, the drinks tasted like they were prepared by someone who never tasted anything finer than a cheap bottom-shelf whisky. This was not the epic, end-of-summer party that Lupe had promised. This wasn’t the welcome to the new year he was hoping for. And yet he came because to these losers and ne’er-do-wells, Tyler was a hero. He was a hero because he single-handedly led their football team to an undefeated season and a championship ring. He was a hero, and what kind of hero would he be if he stayed at home? Especially after what had transpired last year.
Tyler had a code when it came to his bullying. He never bullied someone weaker than him, a disabled person, or a potential school shooter. The reasons for each one were simple. Tyler has always had a desire to be the best and the strongest, a desire that has been present since he was a kid. As such, he gets little to no joy from ruining the day of someone who was mentally weak or could not fight back. As well, to bully a disabled person was one of the lowest lows a person could sink. Only weak people targeted those who, through no fault of their own, don’t experience life in the same way. Lastly, he never bullied the usual suspects because this was America. School shootings were sadly a reality that every student lived in fear of, Tyler included. Others may have forgotten the day that Jared was arrested, but not Tyler. That day revealed how little about others he truly knew. While he had avoided bullying Jared and his little puppy like the plague, would they have realized the difference between their bullies and a bully?
That is where a hero like Tyler could step in. He could be the one to either catch or stop the next idiot who tried to solve their problems with a coward's weapon. That’s why he truly came here tonight. From the outside perspective, it made sense for someone like Tyler to be at a truly dreadful party like this. He was the generational talent who led their high school football team to a championship. His father was a local legend who filled the trophy case back in the day. Parties were where he was allowed to exist as the peak of the high school experience. Even now, he watched as random women looked his way, practically begging for the tiniest shred of attention from the star. While the rest of his football team drank their fill and leaned on their game on the field versus their actual game with the ladies, he sat at the bar with eyes sharpened by his years of training to see everything on the field. Tyler had set a plan in motion, and it was deviously simple. He had swiped a particular guys number from a mutual contact, and had sent him a message with a google number. It was not tied to his name and was created under a fake account that would never link back to him. He had sent him a message inviting him to the party, and it would be Tyler who….
Suddenly, the sound of two bodies colliding and one falling to the ground caught his attention. He quickly located the source and sighed. It appeared that the Jesus freak had knocked over… who had he knocked over? Tyler crooked his head as he looked at the girl on the ground and racked his memory to try to figure out who that might be. She had blonde hair, a heavy use of makeup, and was wholly unremarkable. Was this a new kid? Who the fuck had invited a new kid to a school party? That was most uncool. The fun of a party was it was typically filled with the people that you knew from class, activities, or other social means from the school itself. More or less, the people who were invited, or invited by someone invited, would not be a narc. Tyler hated the uncertainty that a new girl brought to the equation. They had no loyalty to the school, to the culture, to the heroes that walked the halls. He would need to get to the bottom of this.
Suddenly, the most beautiful sound caught his attention as his eyes located Vicky, who had begun to sob. A sickening smile crossed his face at the sight. She was babbling about something or another, and in truth, it did not matter to him what had caused her to enter this state. As long as she was feeling bad, that was enough to bring a smile to his face. It wasn’t like he hated Vicky. Far from it. The two had practically grown up together, with their parents being aquintances who fancied the idea of play dates. Instead of the cute, fun play dates that they had expected, their parents bore witness to the birth of a heated rivalry. Even from the very first meeting, where the two had competed to see who could create the most intricate and beautiful piece of macaroni art, it was clear that the two would never have a normal friendship. The two were simply two alpha competitors who just so happened to claim the same territory. If she were thrown off her game early on in the school year, that would make it much easier for him to win. Tyler blinked as the two distractions had pulled him from his thoughts, and he paused everything as he tried to remember what he was doing prior.
“Oh, that’s right,” Tyler whispered, aloud as his eyes narrowed, and his head moved slowly from left to right, scanning the crowd.
…it would be Tyler who would see if Tommy was going to be the next threat to the school and be the hero who stopped him ahead of time. Sure, Tommy gave no reason for Tyler to suspect anything nefarious. He was a hardass who would bitch and moan, but still stop to help someone if they needed help. Yet this did little to dispel the odd vibe he gave off. There was some unspoken ick that seemed to emanate from the kid, and Tyler did not like it. That is why he created the Google number, that is why he sent a text message to invite him to the party, and that is why Tyler was going to have a little chat with the guy if he did show up. Not because he wanted to become the bestest of best friends, but to ensure that the bad vibe was just a vibe and not his hidden intent to harm.
Tyler’s posture suddenly straightened as he caught sight of the blonde hair and tired eyes that he was looking for. Tommy had decided to show his face after all. Tyler knew he had to play this smart and slow. If he came in hot and fast with a “are you a school shooter” Tyler would be an asshole, and an idiot, and be the first one to go if a shooting went down. Instead, he had to be the perfect asshole. One that others expected for someone of his status, and one he was more than happy to shoulder. With that thought in mind, Tyler skillfully glided through the crowd, all the while his eyes remained locked onto his prey as if he were a hawk diving on it from above. Each step was deliberate, each near miss led to the next, and before long, he was right behind his mark. With a powerful jab of his finger, Tyler made his presence known.
"You’re trash bro, you’re trash. You couldn't cover me even if I threw it to myself, bitch."
_______________________________________________ Tyler Joseph Fox
That/Guy | 17 | White | 6 Feet 2 inches | 225 lbs _______________________________________________ Beast. _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "Hey shrimp, if you don’t finish my homework by the end of the day we are gonna have a problem.." ___________________________________
[Leader of Men] ⫻ As the star Quarterback for the Cornell Steelheads, Tyler is a natural-born leader of men stationed to shepherd the boys on his team. He is confident, persuasive, and motivating. Whether it is first and ten on the twenty-five or fourth and goal, with time about to expire and the game on the line, he knows just what to say to give his teammates the push they need to finish the mission strong.
[Born winner] ⫻ Tyler has never lost. In terms of the sport that he plays, ever since he first started playing Quarterback, Tyler has never lost a game. Whether he is the one to make the game winning play or simply the one to get everyone in the best position to win, Tyler does not take the thought of losing kindly. Thus, he will do whatever it takes to be a winner, even if he has to break a bone or two to do it. He finally got his chance to start in his sophomore year of high school due to some bullshit rule about Freshmen only playing on the freshman team, and he promptly carried a bad team to a State Championship win. As the spring semester ends, there are high hopes that he will repeat in his Junior year.
[A Bully’s Bully] ⫻ Tyler is not the biggest fan of bullying people he deems less than himself. There is no challenge in pushing a skinny nerd into a locker. Instead, he tends to focus what creative energy he has into bullying those who can fight back in some shape or fashion. Whether that is a wrestler who happens to cross his path or someone who isn’t afraid to bark back when he gets going, Tyler will focus his bullying energy on those individuals first. And he will be relentless. He relishes the challenge of picking on someone who won’t just roll over in fear, and he will be very persistent in ruining their day in creative ways. As well, if he sees someone bullying someone who is disabled, hurt, or just unable to defend himself, he will become the bully's bully. It is these individuals who receive his most creative strategies yet.
[You’re so bad] ⫻ Trash talk is an essential part of the football experience. If you are not trying to break someone down mentally while your team is breaking them physically, you will never break them spiritually. Tyler is well regarded for his ability to break down the walls that hold in a person's self-confidence. He will often pick out a couple of players each game, and every time he scores, he looks to where they are on the field and tracks them down, and lets them know just how worthless they truly are.
Appearance ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I am a bit simple, but I don’t need to do much let’s be real."
Tyler has a light, warm skin tone that is smooth and clear from blemishes. His complexion is clear, and he does his best to keep on top of his skin care. It is all a part of his branding. He wants to be that clean-cut, and healthy looking rising star that the scouts can begin to fall in love with. He has always had a lean and athletic build that he has honed to be more defined than bulky. It is clear that he spends countless hours inside the gym training up his body, and he will often try to show off this progress with sleeveless shirts and shorts. Tyler has a sharp yet still youthful look to his face, and he has a clean jawline and a straight nose despite the constant hits he takes on a yearly basis. Tyler likes to keep his hair short during the season, but during the offseason, he allows his hair to become medium length. It is brown, but the constant days under the sun have lightened the tone. Technically, the pattern is straight, yet he spends time each morning before class working product and weaving it in a casual, simple way. Tyler has a light pair of blue eyes. He always has a focused, steady look to him, whether on the field or in the classroom.
For clothing, Tyler likes to wear simple, clean, and stylish clothes. He tends to gravitate towards name-brand items, and he will often try to match his outfit to itself as best as possible. While he may gravitate towards athletic casual wear, he can dress up if a situation depends on it. During school hours, he may not, but a quick trip to a party might see a nice watch or necklace added to the ensemble.
Psychology ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I want to win. I want to be the best. And I want to make my dad proud."
MAIN GOAL ⫻ Tyler is a one-dimensional man. His goal in life is to win. Whether that is playing the game he supposedly loves, in the classroom, or in every other avenue, if there is a way for someone to come out on top, Tyler will push to be that person.
PHILOSOPHY ⫻ If you are not giving one hundred and ten percent of your effort, you are not trying hard enough. If Tyler can wake up at five in the morning, hit the gym, go for a run, eat breakfast, go to school, head to practice, head back to the gym, hit the film room with dinner, finish homework, and study for a test all in the same day, then so can everyone lazy enough to not put in the work. There is only one person to blame for failure and that is yourself.
SECRETS ⫻ While they are good at playing football, they are not sure they like it. While they are as gifted as any top prospect, he feels his heart isn’t fully in the game, nor was it ever. He knows deep down that his father pushed him into this life because of his own injury that took it from him, and no matter what, his father is not currently willing to lose the love of the game twice in one life. Thus, Tyler pushes himself a little too hard at times. Not just to prove to himself that he can, but a small part hopes for a way out through an injury. If he were to have his way, he might like to try the theater or maybe see if there is an artistic side hidden under his physical gifts.
Tyler is also much more intelligent than he lets on. While he always tries to be at the top of the class and consistently tests well, he never lets it be known. His friends all heard about how he barely passed a tough test that Mr. Douchebag made him take, but in truth, he scored a hundred without trying. His 4.0 is good, but his teachers are pushing for him to take classes that might push that weighted score up. If his friends learned how smart he was, he might be treated differently.
SEXUALITY ⫻ Tyler is a big fan of the ladies.
FEARS ⫻ That all this work he has put into himself to be the best quarterback in the state will be for nothing. He knows all too well that there is a jump from one level to the next in terms of skill and work required for success. He has handled the jump from pop warner, to middle school, to high school without much worry. Yet the next jump is the biggest one yet. Each team is filled with people who were some of the best on their own team. The third-string quarterback was once setting records for his school just a couple of years prior, and now he’s holding a clipboard because it was proven he did not have what it takes. What if that is his future? A scholarship that lasts only as long as the illusions his play enables.
Tyler also fears that he is not doing something that he loves, and that it is already too late to back out now. His teammates have it in their heads that with that cannon for an arm, they will fill that trophy case with at least two more. His father is already sending his tape to his prospective schools. The town itself is beginning to herald the arrival of a new superstar. If he were to quit, now, after all that he has done, and all that others have begun to expect of him, he’d never be able to show his face around town again.
REPUTATION IN CORNELL ⫻ The Golden Star with the Golden Cannon Arm. Everywhere he goes, those who pay attention to sports know who he is. He walks with a swagger, and he is constantly told stories about how his game was inspiring to them. That is, until you talk to someone who has been the target of his bullying. To them, Tyler is a jerk. An asshole. The one who thinks far too highly of their own ability.
FLAWS ⫻ Perfectionism: Tyler has impossibly high standards for himself. Anything less than flawless execution feels like a failure. Where others saw the perfect game at State's last season, he saw five passes he left on the field.
Overtraining: He struggles to recognize that even he, himself, has limits. Any rest feels like a weakness that needs to be exercised out of his body, so he often pushes himself well past exhaustion and pain. He has been lucky he hasn’t hurt himself; this luck will not last long.
Control Freak: Tyler tends to be in charge at all times, whether on the field or off. He finds it difficult to trust others to handle their roles in a situation without his interference.
Emotional Avoidance Rather than confronting any doubt, fear, or dissatisfaction with football, he buries it under his work and his training. The pressure is building, and if he does not confront these insecurities, he might explode.
Deflection: Tyler will outright refuse to take success on the chin. He tries to hide with false modesty and tries to gaslight others to fit his narrow view of what caused the win.
Fear of Vulnerability: A genuine connection is like oil to Tyler’s water. Opening up, revealing what he truly feels and how he is currently feeling, feels like surrendering his strength. He is rarely emotionally honest, and this has caused him to miss out on the close friendships he sees all around him.
Risky decisions: Tyler is willing, often unconsciously, to flirt with damage and harm. He actively ignores injuries or pushes himself past limits, all to escape the pressure of his father or prove how strong he is.
Backstory ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "When we win state again, maybe that will be enough.."
Football.
For some people, football is a simple enjoyment. On Saturday, you watch your favorite college team go to war, and then Sunday you do the same for the NFL. You buy the merch, you go to the games, and at the water cooler on Monday morning, in the office, you have a nice and easy conversation starter that you can whip out with Dave from accounting.
For the Fox family, Football is much more than that. Football is a way of life. From his earliest memories, Tyler remembers little other than the work he has put in to get to where he is today. All across the living room mantle in his parents' home, the fruit of these early years is present. Various trophies, ribbons, and other accolades from nearly ten full years of football are placed with the expert precision of a father who is all too proud of how good their son is. Tyler has played football since he was five years old, been practicing since he was three, and he is confident that his father made his wife watch game breakdowns with him while she was pregnant with Tyler. One might wonder why a father would push their young, first son into so much football so young, yet you would only need to look at the surname to figure out the truth. The Fox name is closely associated with James Fox, the former star running back of the Pittsburgh Steelers, whose career was cut tragically short due to a massive leg injury that he suffered at the end of his sophomore season within the league. The Cornell Steelheads count him among their hall of fame, and there are rumors that they were planning on changing the name of the stadium to honor him before the injury.
Thus, above everything else, football is a constant memory for Tyler. He does not have a memory of playing soldiers in the yard outside with his friends. Instead, all he can remember is football camps, two-a-days, practice, drills, training with dad, training with dad’s friends, private coaching, and time in the gym. This has helped him succeed in this profession and build the foundation for a possible run at the college level, yet this has done little to silence a nagging thought that he is making a mistake by dedicating his life to just one thing. When he hit the fifth grade, he argued with his dad because he saw how his two younger siblings were treated. Sophia was allowed to do whatever she wanted. She was encouraged to explore all her hobbies and to make changes as she moved forward in life. His younger brother, meanwhile, could do no wrong in his father’s eyes as he struggled to play teeball. If they were allowed to fail and explore what they wanted to, why couldn’t he? Winning can silence many things, and in his fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade years, the championships he won did much to push him back on the trajectory his father picked for him. The way his friends chanted his name, the way the coaches flung him praise, and the look on his fathers face as he held those trophies was the final lock on any desire he had to explore who he is further. At least, it did for a time.
When he got to high school, he was dismayed to learn that he was not allowed to try out for the varsity team. Freshmen, no matter how good, were assigned to their own team. Despite him playing lights out, he was not allowed to move forward until his sophomore year. The setbacks did not end there. When he arrived at camp, he was told that the team was the current quarterback's team, a senior named Chad. Despite being the better player, it took a minor injury to Chad to get onto the field, and when he did, there was no denying him his birthright going forward. Tyler led his team on a sensational run that culminated with the school's first state championship since his father played. The high from that game carried him through the rest of the year. Scouts took notice, and the buzz around campus is that next year, if he can repeat, he might be a heavily recruited prospect entering his final year of school.
While he is normally not one to party, his friends are dragging him to one to celebrate his birthday. Tonight will be a fun night to let off a little steam and refocus his energy for the next season.
Abstraction ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Listen. If you are going to be out of position, it is my job to fix it."
TYPE ⫻ Adept - Purple Lux
ABSTRACTION ⫻ Purple Lux, channeler is the championship ring on his finger. Field General is his ability to swap the position of any two objects within his vision with each other.
Field General ⫻ This is Tyler’s ability to be the general on the field. He has a keen awareness of objects, people, and other items within a thirty-foot radius around him. He can channel his magic, put his magic out into the world, and consciously select two objects. With a flip of the wrist, the two objects will swap their place in the world. They will take no damage from the transition, they will not suffer any ill effects, and they will just be in a different place. This can be as simple as two people swapping their place, and as complicated as him throwing a football towards a wall and swapping it with another person. To activate his power, he must first get into the right headspace. He must visualize the field before him and have a clear mental picture of where the two objects are. Without a clear visualization, he will be unable to activate the spell. Then, he must push his magic through his ring, which causes the gem to glow a dull purple color. Finally, once this is complete, he can pick the two objects like one picks which entree they want off a menu, and flicks the wrist with his channeler. The two objects will swap places in an instant without any further input needed, and maintain the other objects relative velocity.
LIMITS ⫻ First, Tyler must have a clear picture of his area. This is easy enough when one is in an open room or field. It gets a bit more confusing when he is in a crowded environment. While he has a passive understanding, he must know where each object is specifically. Thus, things that obscure his vision or distort what he can see effectively make this power worthless.
Second, this power is tied to his confidence. If he is not confident in his own ability to do the spell, the spell will simply refuse to work. While he does not know why, there is a certain definitiveness to the power that requires him to be as in control as possible to execute it.
WEAKNESSES ⫻ Tyler’s Abstraction depends entirely on maintaining a precise mental map of his surroundings. In chaotic or crowded settings, the abundance of objects or rapid movements can overwhelm his focus, leading to misidentifications or hesitation. Visual distortions such as mirrors, illusions, smoke, or other effects can subtly skew his perception, making swaps inaccurate or risky. His power also hinges on unwavering confidence; sudden fear, guilt, or strong emotions can disrupt the mental clarity he relies on. An excess of choices can also cause paralysis; when faced with multiple threats, Tyler might struggle to prioritize swaps, freezing while deciding the best move. Moreover, interactions with other magical or psychic forces could cause his Abstraction to malfunction, especially if objects are magical, cursed, or unstable. An opponent aware of his abilities might exploit this, turning his precision into a weakness.
Other ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I will carry this if you just fucking let me."
Tyler has a bag filled with protein snacks. He will share if you ask.
"I’d rather be at home right now, curled under my warm blanket, and watching my shows than dealing with whatever this is."
_______________________________________________ Zofia ‘Nora’ Król
They/They | 15 | Polish | 5’ | 103 lbs _______________________________________________ Enigmatic _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "What I lack in the academic world I make up for in the real world." ___________________________________
[All the drama] ⫻ Zofia has been involved in the theater since they were a kid. While they have earned the leading role once or twice, they are consistently happy playing the supporting role. They are able to do sing, dance, do stage makeup, and help with set construction and design. Auditions are next week for the unnamed play that the school will put on, and Zofia is incredibly excited to try and get a big role for her Sophmore year.
[Fierce Loyalty] ⫻ Zofia can be exceptionally loyal to those whom they considers ‘theirs’. They are protective, encouraging, and will be a warm presence in their life. There are few who will remember the small details about a person like Zofia does. From their favorite kind of tea, to the types of humor that get them belly laughing, to their favorite scenes in an anime, and their preference for snacks. They will defend their friends form bullies, offer a shoulder to cry on if needed, and just be there in the right way for the moment itself.
[Subculture Savvy] ⫻ Zofia is an unapologetic anime and manga enthusiast. As such, and despite their lack of academic skill, they wield a near encyclopedic knowledge of the various series they've watched, the tropes found within, and most importantly, the characters they brought to life. Beyond a love of anime and manga, this also reflects a broader comfort with niche interests and lends well to their presence in alternative spaces. Thus, Zofia can navigate conventions, online communities, and other places with ease.
[Reality-Hardened Perspective] ⫻ Zofia has lived a hard, but fulfilling life thus far. This has fostered a perspective that is both accurate and relatable. They can analyze a situation and figure out the details, and offer a perspective in a way that is approachable to all. Thus, Zofia is often able to be the voice of reason in unreasonable situations.
[Polish Connection] ⫻ Zofia grew up speaking Polish as her first language. Both her parents immigrated from Poland just before they were born, and as such, her first language is technically Polish. As they learned English early on, they had to act as translators for both of their parents. This is not a usable skill in a forgotten town in the middle of Pennsylvania, but they will often slip into their Polish if they want to cuss at someone or hurl insults without getting in trouble.
Appearance ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I swear I eat enough"
Zofia is someone whose appearance can only be described as simple. They have very pale skin that gives them a washed, porcelain look under the harsher lights of school and home. While a warmer light does tend to make them look more alive, they are not outside enough for others to notice. They have a slender build that features narrow shoulders. As a whole, they look underweight, and in truth, they are. They are not quite at ‘let’s an intervention for her’ level quite yet, but they have started to hear the rumors that they are either anorexic or bulimic. Their hair is a vibrant red color, one that they did themself with the help of their bestfriend. Their parents were most upset when they did this, yet it was too late to force them to stop or change it. Their hair is a shoulder-length shag that they get cut regularly. While the expense is not one they can afford to do often, it is still something that makes them feel more in control. They tend to favor the ‘no makeup’ makeup look, and will focus on their eyes and lips as opposed to doing a full face.
Zofia is a fan of anything that is comfortably oversized. They are often spotted in oversized shirts from professional sports teams, which, in truth, are hand-me-downs from their father. Jeans and jean shorts cut from jeans are also a common sight on their frame. For shoes, they have various Converse at various stages of disrepair. Everything that they have bought for themself has been bought at a thrift store, and as suc,h there is no clear fashion identity that they pay their respect to.
Psychology ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Oh. You’re not laughing. That was supposed to be a funny story from when I was young… Therapy? Why?"
MAIN GOAL ⫻ Zofia wants out of Cornell. Out of the final descent into the hell that is a rust belt town's decline, out of the perpetual boredom that keeps her inside with their animes, and they want to get away from their role as their parents' keeper. Ever since they were old enough to remember, they have taken care of both parents, and they would like nothing more than to be the priority for once in their own life.
PHILOSOPHY ⫻ Freedom is as important as food, water, and shelter. A caged animal grows frail behind bars, and the same is true for humans. When you put people in little boxes and expect them to be the perfect cog in the machine, the human spirit suffers. If you give people the freedom to express themselves, to be themselves, the world as a whole is better for it. Thus, they will always fight for their right to be themselves, for the right of their friends to be weird and free, and for the ability of everyone around them to be wholly themselves.
SECRETS ⫻ Zofia comes from a conservative, but loving family, and as such they have thus far kept their lesbian nature and their non-binary identity to themself. Their family is not overtly hateful; if anything, they are overly loving. Yet when they consistently vote for groups that aim to deny your existence without hesitation or concern because they are good for the economy, you begin to wonder where that love ends. Thus, in public and at home, they keep this secret, as they would rather keep their loving family for now than push for her own freedom.
They also hide most of their sadness. They are the rock that their friends are allowed to crash on, and they do not want others to do the same for them. They have friends who would be more than willing to be there to help, to allow Zofia to open up, yet they will never be willing to do that out of a fear that they are only as worthy as they are strong mentally.
They have flirted with suicidal ideations and have nearly attempted it once before. They had the blades on their wrists, but could not pull through. Still, if someone were to discover their diary, they would see they not only have the desire, but a plan as well.
They go by their middle name Nora. Every teacher, friend, and community member knows them as Nora. They keep their first name a secret as they were worried when they were younger that someone would bully them for it. They do like their first name, but this lie has gone on for so long they wonder what benefit they will have to revealing the truth.
SEXUALITY ⫻ Zofia is quite the fan of the ladies.
FEARS ⫻ Zofia fears that they belong in Cornell and will never escape it. The idea of being trapped in this depressing small town, year after year, fills her with a certain dread that was not matched until the monsters appeared. They watched their father fall deeper into the depressive habits that have defined his fatherhood, and their mother joined him in the rot. Thus, Zofia fears the same stagnation that killed what their parents could have been. The idea of being trapped in Cornell, of never escaping this small town, unsettles their mind. They fear the future where they must remain hidden from the world, and joins the rot. They also fear rejection from the people whose approval they pretend not to need. While they will pretend they don't hear the bullies when they target them, they do. And sometimes they wish they could have been just another girl, one popular enough they did not get an anxiety attack on the walk to school, and not too popular that they got roped into the problem itself.
REPUTATION IN CORNELL ⫻ Zofia is known as a fighter. They will fight for what they believe is right, fight for their friends, and fight to ensure that things improve. They are also known as the girl who has had to take care of two destitute parents who do little besides bring in enough money to keep a roof over their heads and food in their bellies.
FLAWS ⫻ Zofia is held back by their inability to ask for help. They’d rather shoulder their own burden than risk alienating their friends. Thus, they tend to be a ticking bomb of emotions that threaten to burst at even the slightest issue or problem.
They also do not apply themself to their full ability. They tend to keep a lot of their mental strength in reserve in order to deal with whatever mess awaits them at home.
Backstory ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Sometimes I stay up at night and wonder what the point of me being here is. I guess it all boils down to two idiots making a mistake, and when running from it they made another."
Some stories start during the present time, while others start near the end before they head back to the start, and Zofia’s story truly starts before their birth. Deep within the city of Warsaw, her father had made a terrible mistake. He was a member of the Czarne Wilki, known internationally as the Black Wolves. This was a local but powerful gang that peddled in drugs, weapons, and lives. In this group, he was an enforcer of some renown and he was steadily climbing the ranks of the crime family. During one of his many jobs, he made the mistake of using too much concussive persuasion on a mark and killed them. This triggered a localized fight between the gangs, and to make peace, his higher-ups were to offer him on a silver platter to the rival group. His father fled, with his newlywed wife in tow, across Europe. Eventually, they obtained a fake passport in France, and used the last of their money to fly all the way across the ocean to America, landing in the city that never sleeps itself, New York City. The two stayed for six months before they discovered that the wife was pregnant, and that the Black Wolves had eyes and ears even in this city. Using the last of their money, they fled further west until they settled in Cornell, Pennsylvania, and bought a house with what little they had left. Shortly thereafter, Zofia was born and this family began to try and make things work.
Yet despite their best effort to make the small house a home, there was never enough. They never had enough money to keep both the gas and the electricity on at the same time. Nor could they afford to always feed either themselves or the baby, or buy new clothes for themselves or diapers for Zofia. Her father tried, yet he could not get the images of the high life he lived out of his mind. He could see the champagne in front of him one moment, before the crying baby pulled him out of the memory back into the present horror. Zofia’s mother also suffered. She had friends, family, and a community back home that built her up and expected the world of her. She was a talented singer, dancer, and pianist. She used to play at the many clubs that dotted Warsaw, and she now had no outlet for her wants and desires, nor could she ever hope of being the star that she was born to be. Thus, by the time that Zofia could walk and talk, the two effectively checked out. Sure, she had her needs met as the two adjusted to their new reality, but she could tell even from a young age that she was neglected.
As the childhood years dragged on, Zofia developed her English skills and helped her father with his fledgling business. He had forged the certificates needed to do electrical work, and had some skill with the tools of the trade back home, and thus he used Zofia to help translate, communicate with prospective clients, and to haggle on his behalf. Yet when they got home, her father would collapse into a bottle and the couch and numb his mind with alcohol. Eventually, they would start school, where they were introduced to the love of their life: anime. It was a simple day in pre-school when they saw a girl wearing a Sailor Moon shirt. After learning what it was, they were invited over to watch, and when they saw what was on the screen, they became obsessed. They quickly convinced her family to buy a new TV, and move the old one into her room, and they began to watch whatever they could, and theytoo disappeared into the screen like her parents. However, they could not be fully immersed like their parents. They had to clean up after the mess they made. They had to ensure they did not drown in their vomit. They had to ensure that the stained clothes got washed before their parents got up to go to work. They had to cook dinner, otherwise they wouldn’t eat. They had to do everything. And they had to do it every day.
From cooking, to cleaning, to the dishes, to the laundry, to reminding her parents to do their taxes, to paying the bills, to pushing her parents to get out of bed in the morning to go to work. Zofia did it all. They had to learn to not only be self-reliant, but also a self-starter on all the chores around the house. While their parents were always thankful and pushed themselves to try to be better, all it would take was one setback at work, or at home, or anywhere for them to fall back down to the bottom and take months to crawl back out. Zofia kept finding relief from this perpetual nightmare through their anime, manga, and the online communities that discussed both. Online, they called themself ‘scarletnorthwind’, based off the character Scarlet El Vandimion, and with that name they were able to escape from the constant chaos that was real life. They discussed their theories, built up a community, and began to branch out and discover more of who they were through these online spaces. This confidence they gained eventually transferred to real life.
In their freshman year Zofia was a target of a bully. This bully was an upperclassman who simply reveled in the discomfort he could cause. One day, during lunch, they took the main course from their school lunch. Normally, on any other day, Zofia would let this slide. They would bring their food in from home, which they made themself. Usually it would be a Kanapki, but sometimes it was something more fanc,y like the leftover pierogies from dinner the previous night. This day, however, was Friday. School Pizza Friday. The one day of the week they would spend what little money they had to buy that terrible, yet somehow delicious pizza, that defied all logic. The one day out of the week that Zofia looked forward to the most when it came to lunch time. When the bully took this pizza, and walked over to the bully table, Zofia decided enough was enough. They took their metal tray, walked over behind them, and smashed it over their head. While it was not done as hard as they thought, it was still a decent ding that filled the lunch hall. They grabbed the pizza on the tray beneath the bully and walked back to their spot with their own dented tray. They were suspended for a week. Their parents were surprisingly proud—some bullshit about always defending yourself from those who wanted to hurt you.
The rest of their freshman year went by in a breeze. They would have verbal fights with certain people, make some great friends, and develop a desire to pursue their theater skills while in school. They joined the choir, band, and even started to push themselves academically which is a massive uphil battle. Tonight, however, a friend pushed them to go to a party at the warehouse. Their first party! For some reason, a sense of optimism fell over their mind as they walked through the doors.
Abstraction ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "A bloody good afair if I ever did see one."
TYPE ⫻ Adept
ABSTRACTION ⫻ Green Lux - their channeler is their pendant of Saint Stanislaus, which they wear around their neck. Zofia can open wounds on their body and use the blood to either pierce, cut, and cover a target before the blood itself detonates with concussive and bladed force.
PENDANT OF SAINT STANISLAUS ⫻ The Pendant was a gift from her parents when they were young. It was said that it would bring her great luck in life, and when she woke up from the dream that reality was it became their channeler. The way it works is when Zofia needs to use their magic, the Pendant acts as a conduit for their magic through their body. It does this by implanting itself into her skin, burrowing deep until the blood itself makes contact with it's surface. From here, the pendant constantly pushes their lux through their blood which charges it for use in all of their spells. Once they deactivate their spells, the pendant is rejected from their body.
HEMATIC LANCE ⫻ Nora channels their magic through her lucky charm, which causes both her wrists to open. They then pulls blood from the wounds and press the blood between their palms. Once the blood is in their palm, they then use their green lux to continuously compress the blood into a continuously more compact size. Eventually, once they have reached the point that they determine, they will push a beam of blood out through the gaps between their fingertips in a singular, fine beam. The blood beam travels fast and hits hard. It can cut through cloth with ease, and can even threaten the body of a target if they put sufficient time into increasing the power of the shot. The power of the eventual shot is determined by how long they hold the compression and how much of their lux they push into it.
CRIMSON PETAL BARRAGE ⫻ Instead of pulling their blood into the palms of their hands, Zofia can instead disperse it into the air around them in the form of razor-thin, petal-like blades of blood. These petals will orbit their body for a brief moment and will launch at the target that they aim for. Once fired, each petal will slice through the air and attempt to slice into whatever they hit. Zofi can direct them to curve slightly so it is possible for their projectiles to swarm a target, hitting all over on the attack. Each petal is surprisingly pretty to look at. Each second, they channel this ability a dozen petals are generated. As well, each Petal will have a tendril of blood that connects to their wrists, that sustain the petal before they harden and fire.
SANQUINE DETONATION ⫻ All of her ranged attacks, from their Crimson Petal Barrage to the Hematic Lance, are primers for her finishing move. All blood that is shot or seeded onto surfaces, or opponents are charged with their Green Lux and can be triggered remotely. When triggered, the blood violently expands and ruptures outward with rapid intensity and hardened spikes. The explosive expansion can cause concussive damage, and the spikes can rend flesh, destabilize footing, and turn a fight. The key is the amount of blood coating a surface or an individual. The less blood, the less power they have to wield. Yet this spell carries a heavy toll. To use it effectively, they must coat the target in large amounts of their blood, and the more blood they spend to coat it, the more they run the risk of feeling the effects of bloodloss.
BLOOD LOSS ⫻ When Zofia expends too much of their own blood, they enter a state known as Blood Loss. In Blood Loss, their body rapidly regenerates their own internal blood supply at the cost of their consciousness. Their wrists will heal, their body will begin to heal other wounds, but they will be unable to move or defend themselves for ten minutes. Afterwards, they will rise like Jesus on the third day. Blood loss does not fully recharge them, and instead, it will replenish just enough to get back up after the fight and will not help much during one.
LIMITS ⫻ They are limited by, namely, their own blood supply. As such, if they are not eating full, nutritious meals, they may find that they are firing a gun with half the bullets. As such, they will need to be smart with how and when they use their magic.
The force of their magic is on the weaker side for their two ranged spells and stronger with their detonation ability. Thus, they will need to be strategic and use their magic thinking two steps ahead of an enemy. A giant pool of blood primed for detonation is useless if an enemy is not standing in it. Using their brain is not a strength of theirs so they will be challenged to use these abilities to their full extent.
Even before they hit the Blood Loss stage Zofia will still suffer from the effects of normal blood loss. They will be easily confused, lose strength, and could even faint without the benefits of Blood Loss.
WEAKNESSES ⫻ Zofia’s Abstraction is intricately connected to her own body and blood, making her physically vulnerable in ways that most opponents can exploit. Any damage that reduces her blood immediately weakens her catalogue. Overusing her abilities risks triggering Blood Loss, during which her body regenerates at the expense of her consciousness, leaving her incapacitated for ten minutes and defenseless. Even before reaching this stage, blood depletion causes her to feel dizzy, confused, and weaker.
Other ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "OH MY GOD THIS IS JUST LIKE THIS ONE ANIME I WATCHED. Instead of us waking up in another magical realm, we stayed here and woke up to a nightmare."
Lynn pressed her forehead into the window of her Grandmother’s car. She watched as the scenery changed around them as they traveled down the road, but could not help but notice that nothing seemed to change outside. Each house seemed to be the same mid-century home that was both too big for a single person to live in alone, yet too small for a family. From the two-car garage that was not built for the larger SUVs and trucks of today, to the smaller yards and fence in a state of disrepair, the homes may have been the same old bland design that populated this part of town, but it was also ones that reminded her of her family home out west. She remembers vividly fighting her siblings, and even her parents, for time in the only shower in the house, which, for some reason, was located right down the hall from the living room. While the bedrooms may have had their own bathrooms, they were cramped, and it was difficult to get ready in these rooms. A smirk crossed her face as she remembered having to dodge, duck, dive, and weave her way around her family in the mornings as everyone moved in a chaotic pattern as they got ready for the day.
Street lights continued to pass by, one after the other, and all they could do is steal the smile from her face.
Lynn shifted her eyes towards the driver's seat and took in her grandmother. She was a little older than one might expect for a grandparent. She was seventy three years of age and had started to finally look it. Wrinkles became the dominant feature one might spot on her face, and right after, one would see the sea of gray that had begun to dominate her hairline. Her fashion was muted shades of pastels, with a large, thick rimmed glasses over her eyes, and large pearls around her neck. Her neck and spine as a whole were curved, giving her a hunched look as he gripped the steering wheel with a surprising amount of strength. The way her eyes squinted suggested that she was struggling to drive at this time of night. This was surprising to Lynn. When Lynn received the text from an unknown number, she brought it up to her grandma. She had figured that she’d have told her to ignore it and get ready for school the next day. Yet, for some reason, she was all too excited to take Lynn to a place that was undoubtedly breaking several laws. Was this some desperate Hail Mary right at the start of Lynn living here to make friends? Or was there some other reason that she wanted Lynn gone for the night? Lynn suspected it was a little bit of both.
From the countless photos of her mother that dotted the wall of her grandmother's house, there was no denying that Lynn was the spitting image of her. As an only child as well, that meant that when she died, her grandmother was without anyone. Grandpa had died a couple of years back of heart failure, and Lynn’s two Great Uncles had gone out in the war long ago. Thus, there was truly no other family that her Grandma had left. And when your only child dies long before their time, it can be a little hard to see her spitting image every day in your home again.
The car suddenly began to decelerate. Lynn looked over to her grandma, before her eyes darted out the front windscreen. She did not really know where she was. Had she visited this part of town in the two weeks she had been here? Lynn’s eyes darted from building to building, yet she could not make heads or tails of that question. Eventually, they returned to her grandma, and she offered a small smirk. “Do abandoned warehouses look different in the rust belt or,” Lynn paused as she looked out the passenger window again, leaning her head against the cool glass as she did, “did you see something in the road?”
“Oh, I can’t drive you right up to the door. There’s a bullying problem at the school, last I heard, and I don’t think little ol’ me dropping ya off will help with that,” she raised her right hand off the steering wheel and pointed at the road they were parked right before, “go right at the sign. That road will take you all the way to the party. I don’t want you to do anything you’d regret, but I hope you can make some good friends to start the school year off strong, okay? When you’re done, you can use my card to take a ride home. Now, I don’t want you out too late but please take your time. Have a little fun, you know?”
“Alright,” Lynn paused as she offered a weak smile. It was the former. She just wanted Lynn to be a teenager, in a controlled way. Lynn wondered if she was this relaxed with her mother? Lynn opened the door and put her right foot out, before she paused as she turned towards her Grandma. “Thanks, grandma.”
As Lynn walked through the doors of the warehouse, she couldn’t help but close her eyes and feel the music impact her body. Even though the rest of her senses were getting bombarded by the smell of body odor, the touch of bodies brushing past her, and the bright lights breaking through the weak barrier of her eyelids, she could only focus on the beat. She felt the rhythm enter her bones, and a small smile spread across her face. This was not her first party. She had snuck out about six months back when the weather was colder to go to one. It was held at some highschoolers house when his parents were out of town. She had tasted her first drink of alcohol that night. She remembered how freeing it was back then. The music hit better, the jokes were funnier, and the experience as a whole was a bright light that was blinded by the encroaching darkness. Her eyes opened.
She wondered if the drinks tonight would have the same impact the drinks back then had. Maybe they could strip away all the negative emotions that consumed her thoughts. Or allow her to relax and enjoy a crazy party and make some friends. That could wait. For now, she maneuvered through the crowd towards where the dance circle had formed. From the outskirts, she watched as two beautiful women began to dance and build the vibe around them. They seemed so free in everything they did. From her perspective, neither had a singular care in the world at this moment and that liberty seemed intoxicating. Just being near them lifted Lynn's spirits ever so.
If she were in a class with women like that, she could get used to going to school here.
"Oh yay. Social interactions. I just love being social with you fun people."
_______________________________________________ Evelynn Ann Serenelight She/Her | 16 | White | 62 In | 105 Lbs _______________________________________________ Oracle _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "I feel like I was meant to inherit this curse.." ___________________________________
[Quietly Polite] ⫻ Lynn is unfailingly polite. It is the kind of politeness that feels almost old-fashioned, as years of grief have taught her to speak gently, apologize quickly, and smooth over moments of conflict so that she never leaves a relationship with hateful words being the last thing she uttered. Her teachers have thought this was Lynn being the perfect student they all expected her to be, despite the hardship, yet this is just a mask that she forces herself to wear at all times. Classmates have often taken advantage of this kindness
[Puzzle-Minded] ⫻ Lynn finds comfort in patterns, riddles, and things that have answers, and this takes the form of crossword puzzles, problem-solving apps, and anything that involves logic. These make sense in ways life no longer does. Where others see frustration, Lynn sees something she can untangle. It’s less about winning and more about the quiet relief of pieces clicking into place.
[Lightweight] ⫻ Lynn has little experience with alcohol and absolutely no tolerance for it. Even small amounts leave her flushed, dizzy, and painfully aware of herself. The smell alone carries complicated memories she doesn’t like revisiting. Yet despite this she has developed a taste for it even at her young age. Her family is renowned for their ability to throw back shots, down beers, and consume until the very morning hours. It is only a matter of time before she can handle the amount her grandmother drinks and leaves out within her reach.
[Sleepless Mornings] ⫻ Sleep is unreliable. Some nights she barely drifts off; others are crowded with uneasy dreams she can’t fully remember. Either way, when morning does arrive, it often arrives heavy and with inertia. Lynn relies on strong coffee to get that extra push each morning, and lately she has added in a Gatorade or two after the nights she drinks. This has become somewhat of a normal occurrence for her, and as such she can shake off exhaustion much more efficiently than most.
[Guarded Heart] ⫻ Lynn is cautious with affection. Everyone she has truly loved has died, or is all the way on the other side of the country, back at her proper home. While she may be kind and quietly warm once someone earns her trust, it is an uphill battle to get there in the first place. Proper attention still can make her blush, yet genuine interest currently unsettles her far more than it excites. While it isn’t that she is against forming connections, it is just difficult to allow someone to get close after all that has happened. This has allowed her to stay one step ahead of the bullies in this new school.
Appearance ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I just hope they don’t look at me"
For someone who wishes nothing more than to disappear into the shadows, Lynn’s appearance is quite the contradiction. Her pale blonde hair falls in untidy waves, with uneven layers that look as though it was cut by her hand, in front of a vanity mirror, at two in the morning. Wispy bangs frame her face, though they never quite rest where she wants them, thus leading to a near-perpetually wind-swept, disheveled look. Her eyes are one of her striking features. They are defined by the dark eyeliner drawn with the practiced precision of one who has spent far too many hours with nothing but her tools, a mirror, and YouTube tutorials. This eyeliner is one of the few consistencies with her appearance, as the slow, steady process of tracing and filling is an area she has complete control over when life is anything but. The makeup gives her gaze an intensity that never quite matches her timid nature. Lynn does not mind if she can give herself a resting bitch face and keep the boys and girls at arm's length. Without the makeup, she looks softer and easier to read, and with she feels more in control of her space.
Jewelry is a sparingly present detail, yet each piece she wears is chosen with deliberate intention. Around her neck, she has layered various necklaces, each one belonging to either her mother or sister, and she places a star-shaped pendant on top. According to her father, to whom it belonged, the pendant is the sigil of her family. All she does with it is twiddle it between her fingers when she gets anxious. A fake, small nose ring is often present over her left nostril. Like the eyeliner and the messy hair, this is used to make her look less approachable. For clothes, she tends to lean towards oversized jackets, dark tones, thrifted designs, and all paired with simple tops and cinched belts. Nothing is ever flashy or loud, but each piece helps her feel slightly less visible while still holding onto the fragments of her own identity.
Psychology ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "If I stay still enough, maybe the world will forget I'm here.
MAIN GOAL ⫻ Once upon a time, Lynn dreamed of greatness, success, and stability, but all she has experienced has been insignificance, failure, and a constant need for reinvention. Thus, her current goal is quieter, heavier, and far more fragile. All she wants in this world, in life, is for the pain of existence to stop noticing her. She wants to move through halls unseen, to exist without probing questions, or pitying looks, and above all else, without that awful pause people make when they learn what happened to her family. She wants to be gone, not physically, but in the social, emotional sense.
PHILOSOPHY ⫻ The pain of all she has endured has hallowed Lynn. She leans, perhaps unconsciously, towards a nihilistic viewpoint of life. It is not a dramatic or reckless view, but instead the muted and exhausted variant that seems ever more prevalent with people her age. She has the sense that meaning is a flimsy idea humanity made to make sense of the senseless. She views plans for today and tomorrow as some temporary thing subject to the whims of an uncaring universe that can, and will, take away everything at the drop of a dime without cause or meaning. It would take quite a lot of prodding to get her to reveal this, as being invisible to others means that you can’t quite give them ammunition to fire at you when they do notice your presence.
SECRETS ⫻ Lynn is responsible for the death of her family, or so she thinks. Before the accident that claimed their lives, she had a bitter fight with her mother. She did not want to go out to the woods that night. It was already late, she was tired, and she felt uneasy in the dark woods on a good day as is. She did not want to go; she did not want to have dinner at her family's friend's house, and her mother just did not get it. They both exchanged sharp blows with their words, yet the teenage anger that Lynn had brought to wield was quickly beaten down and broken by the unbridled, uncaring parent who was all too done with their children. They left fifteen minutes late, and then the crash followed.
Not a soul knows the true details of what happened before the crash, and as such, no one has blamed her or held her accountable for her actions that led to it. Yet all through Lynn’s mind, she has chained herself as the cause that led to the consequences of her actions with a merciless certainty.
SEXUALITY ⫻ Straightish. Lynn assumes she likes boys. That is the narrative she understands, the one that feels safest, simplest. Anything beyond that remains an option that she has neither explored nor considered exploring. At least yet.
FEARS ⫻ Lynn truly only has a few fears, and none of them are quite visible. While she fears the eventual questions every kid her ages asks, such as what do your parents do? She fears how a relationship can change when someone learns that you just went through a heavy loss. She also fears sleeping as her dreams can often blur into something too vivid. She has relived the accident more than once.
REPUTATION ⫻ The sad new girl. The quiet one. The outsider on the outside of social circles, without ever quite entering them. Lynn is easy to overlook, easier to misunderstand. Some students ignore her entirely. Others whisper. A few, lacking cruelty’s self-awareness, turn her grief into uncomfortable jokes. She has not been in Cornell long enough to become anything more defined than a body with a name.
FLAWS ⫻
Avoidance: Lynn retreats from discomfort rather than confronting it, whether that means dodging conversations, emotions, or conflict.
Emotional Suppression: She bottles feelings so tightly they emerge with a fiery explosion. This often presents as unexplained bouts of crying, fiery rage, and a burning hatred that can be impossible to put out.
Catastrophic Thinking: Her mind habitually leaps to worst-case outcomes, making even small uncertainties feel giant. This often leads to rumination and a spiral downward.
Self-Blame: Lynn internalizes guilt, accepting responsibility for things far beyond her control.
Social Withdrawal: Connection feels dangerous, leading her to isolate even when loneliness aches.
Backstory ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "If I could only rewind time, what a treat that would be."
For the Serenlight family, loss has been a persistent stain that has clung to the name like a genetic disorder rather than fate. Even from a young age, she can remember how her parents spoke of her father's siblings, parents, cousins, aunts, and uncles in an increasingly past tense. Often this took the form of a health complication arriving when least expected, an accident that seemingly came out of nowhere, or even violent encounters in places that should have been safe. Thus, in the town they called home, the Serenlight name has often carried sympathy in most circles, and a visible discomfort in others. Despite the chaos of death, in disregard for the cruel hand that fate often delivered, Lynn’s family raged against this seemingly inevitable fate to build a gentle, kind, and loving start to their lives. Lynn remembers the warmth her youth had, the joy she experienced, and the happiness that was all too present.
Growing up in Oregon, in the harbor town of St. Portwell, Lynn remembers the seagulls that shouted so loudly above her head when they went to the beach, and the smell of salt that grew stronger the closer you got. Lynn remembers how the rainy season was more of a cleansing time, rather than the dull grey it ended on, and she fondly recalls the countless nights spent at the Halloween festival, and she still has all the stupid photos that she forced her parents to spend far too much money on so she could always remember her costumes and the nights they enabled. The art district was her mother's favorite place, and the two would often spend their lazy afternoons after school was out browsing and admiring the effort and talent on full display in the city. Her father, meanwhile, often took her and her siblings out to the piers with fishing rods in hand early in the mornings, and the group would work together in silence to catch a small haul. The goal was never to catch the fish; however, it was just a way for this family to spend time together every chance they got.
In school, she was not entirely popular, but she was never disliked. She was often labeled a teachers pet as she had a love of being the one to answer questions. Thus, it was no surprise that she joined the debate team as soon as she entered high school. With her talent and smarts, the school placed on the podium those two years she helmed the ship. She also had a love of music and quickly found a second home on the marching band's field with her trombone. Life was good for quite a long while here, and then the fracture came that broke it all apart.
Her father was friends with many people, and as such, her family would often be invited over for dinner. On the night in question, they were to drive almost an hour out of town into the woods to visit a close family friend. The problem was that Lynn did not want to go. In her mind, this was a punishment that felt like it was neither deserved or appropriate. All she had done earlier that day was ask if she could go hang out with her best friend, and her mom snapped and said that they already had plans. A bitter argument started, stopped, and started again. It was little more than a simple misread of emotions, combined with a teenager's anger and angst, yet the result was that their family left their house almost thirty minutes later than anticipated. And no sooner after they left the city proper did she see headlights, hear the squeal of brakes, the sound of metal crushing, and then silence when there should have been voices. The crash had stolen her parents and siblings in a single, vicious moment, leaving Lynn alone, dangling upside down in the car, with nary a scratch or bruise to show for it. She was taken to the hospital and stayed for a couple of days with a concussion, and then she was placed into an emergency foster home as the authorities tried to figure out where she went next. While this took place, she went to therapy several times a week, and progress was slow.
A few months later, she was shipped across the country to Cornell, Pennsylvania. They had gotten in contact with her last living relative, her mother's mother, and she was welcomed into her home with open arms and with true love. While it was cleaned up for the inspections, by the third night living with her grandmother, Lynn could tell that her mother's death was as hard on her grandmother as it was on her. Alcohol became a constant sight, as her mother was an only child; this meant that her grandmother had also lost almost all her living relatives, all save for Lynn. It has been two weeks since she arrived, and Lynn has yet to ask for a return to therapy. While it was starting to be helpful, the words remained stuck in her throat. Part of her yearns to be free of this burden, while another tries to convince her that she does not deserve peace after what she caused. Instead, she is slate to start a new school year at a new school in an unfamiliar place filled with unfamiliar faces, and as she drifts through the unfamiliar halls, carrying the memories of a brighter life that has all been lost. Her sophomore year held so much promise back home, and now she is forced to experience it as something new.
Tonight is a night that might change her fate. The day before school started up again an unknown number texted her, telling her about this party that might be fun. As a sort of first step to getting better, Lynn decided to go and put herself out there. She wondered what a party at a warehouse was like?
Abstraction ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I don’t know how to describe it other than confusing. Things that can, will, and won’t happen all presented as absolute truth."
TYPE ⫻ Aberration-Afflicted
ABSTRACTION ⫻ Foresight - Evelynn can pull on her magic to see the possible futures ahead of her, yet she is beset by misfortune in the present.
THE GIFT OF FORESIGHT ⫻ Across the multiverse, certain truths do not bend. The Hound will eventually claim all adepts, monsters lurk in the shadows, and magic only brings conflict to mortals. The Serenelight bloodline is one such constant. No matter the world, no matter the version, those born into that name can awaken the Gift and Foresight and gain the Curse of Misfortune. Not all Serenlights will gain the visions, yet every one of them will experience misfortune. While it has been hard, the blood always seems to survive the misfortune long enough to pass on the curse, and potential gift, to the next generation. Typically, this gift can be awakened during times of intense emotional distress or during chaotic situations. Lynn came the very night the fabric of reality was torn asunder, and she was left defenseless during the resulting carnage.
When she activates her magic, her eyes turn a vibrant jade green. Her body becomes completely motionless, her breathing slows, and her body becomes rigid. In an instant, she is brought to the possible futures. For her, the possible future manifests as a living structure within her perception. It is a vast, branching tree of possibility where the present is the trunk, the roots are the countless paths that led to this exact moment, and above her stretches the canopy, presenting as an ever-multiplying chaotic mess of branches and leaves that are of futures yet to be decided. From here, she can activate her magic again to view a possibility and the outcome by metaphorically grabbing a branch. This is a place apart from our reality. Thus, Lynn has simply begun to call this place The Garden. While the horizon seems to stretch as far as the eye can see she can move nowhere but closer to the tree. If she tries to walk away, no matter how far or how fast she runs, nor how much the ground beneath her changes, she will move not an inch away in reality. She has a strong intuition that directs her to grab specific branches. While this intuition gets her close, she has no idea which one is the true future. This intuition manifest by bringing branches closer to the ground within reach of her arms. When she touches the branch, she witnesses the events as they happen from the moment she entered The Garden.
That’s because within these branch she witnesses possibilities. On one hand, she can quickly dart to the future and see if walking down a street is safe. The buildup to the present has already happened, so something so soon will only have one branch, or a few, branches she can reach. Thus, her ability to discern the future is relatively easy for things about to happen. But the tree does not offer clarity freely. As soon as she aims to see what will happen, fifteen, ten, even five minutes in the future becomes as much as guessing game as trying to win a game of cards. True futures will twist together with false ones, and each branch can split again with every variable. Her decisions, others’ decisions, random chance, invisible interference, the hand of god, and a million, million different possible ways to interfere with what the truth is. The sheer volume is dizzying as each vision becomes more of a ‘could be’ versus the certainty that the immediate future offers.
Interpretation thus is everything, and her interpretation is imperfect. There will only ever be one true future, and often this is hidden in what she sees. Even if everything does not play out exactly as she has seen it, when you have as many variables in play that can affect the future eventually they all can tend to agree on the direction they want to travel as they grow. When she is in the possible future and in front of the tree, time moves differently for her. She can view tens of possibilities in the time it would take to speak a sentence. As well, she can remember the possibilities with a peculiar clarity, able to recite what she saw with an often ominous delivery.
THE CURSE OF MISFORTUNE ⫻ While the Gift of Foresight is a strong, if unreliable, ability, it comes with a high cost. Evelynn is burdened by the Curse of Misfortune. The Gift of Misfortune is either a cosmic balancing force thrust on her bloodline to limit the spread of the seers, or just a natural affect when one views things that are yet to come. Either way, Evelynn is cursed by misfortune. Misfortune comes at the bloodline in many forms. Sometimes, a child is born with a rare, genetic defect that they simply lucked out on when they acquired it. Other times, a falling object will adjust its trajectory to land on them when it would have landed safely away. And death is always lurking one step behind them, ready to send a drunk driver their way, or cause the foundation to fail from underneath them, or cause a normally safe weapon to discharge when pointed in their direction, and so on.
The Curse of Misfortune has claimed almost every last Serenelight throughout their family's existence. It is not something that can be dismissed with a cleansing spell, or protected against, or warded away. It is simply a fact of life for this bloodline. Even before reality was torn asunder, this part of their universal constant hunted them, without giving them their foresight. Which ancient did this family piss off to earn such disdain? Or is this the price of entry to The Garden, one that has to be paid in advance and every day after admission?
LIMITS ⫻
Lynn never sees the future as a certainty, only the possibilities that stretch as far as they do tall. The visions show what might happen, not what will. False futures can appear just as vivid as truthful ones, forcing her to guess which branches hold the weight of truth.
The further she peers, the longer she must remain trapped in her trance-like state, leaving her physically vulnerable. As well, extended use fractures her focus, blurring the boundary between vision and reality, present and possibility.
WEAKNESSES ⫻ Evelynn’s foresight demands complete physical vulnerability. When she steps into The Garden, her body stiffens, becomes unresponsive, and is essentially defenseless. She cannot move, speak, or react to stimuli, and any force applied to her during this time has full effect. If she is pushed, restrained, injured, or killed while viewing possible futures, the vision does not end automatically to protect her. Foresight does not safeguard the present; it abandons it. The time distortion within The Garden creates mental strain. Evelynn can observe multiple futures in seconds, but her human mind still needs to process and remember them. Prolonged use leads to temporal dissonance: confusion about past events, what she just saw, and what is happening now. After heavy foresight use, she may hesitate, react prematurely, or behave as if events are already decided when they are not.
The Curse of Misfortune is not just random bad luck; it is a targeted collapse in probability. Events that would normally resolve safely instead turn out in the worst way possible for her. This doesn’t mean impossible things happen—just that chance consistently works against her. Safety margins fail, coincidences accumulate, and unlikely accidents happen often enough to maintain constant pressure. Planning does not avoid the curse; it only changes how it manifests. The more Evelynn uses foresight, the more likely misfortune is to strike in the present. Periods of intense Garden use are followed by clusters of accidents, close calls, or cascading failures. Avoiding foresight doesn’t remove the curse, but frequent use speeds it up—danger gets compressed into shorter intervals.
Importantly, foresight doesn’t reveal the Curse as a separate force. She can see outcomes where things go wrong, but not why, in a way that allows her to fully prevent them. Attempts to circumvent misfortune often just shift the trigger. Dodging one falling object puts her in the path of another. Avoiding one location puts her near a different failure point.
Because the Curse is bloodline-bound and all-encompassing, there’s no “safe future” to find—only futures where death comes sooner or later. The Garden can show her how to survive the next minute, hour, or day, but not a future free of misfortune. Long-term foresight inevitably leads to decay, exhaustion, or fatal convergence, making prolonged planning mentally damaging.
Other ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Even with this power, I still can't win the lottery."
Lynn always has a pack of high-quality treats in her purse or otherwise on her body. She will not share..
"I’d rather be at home right now, curled under my warm blanket, and watching my shows than dealing with whatever this is."
_______________________________________________ Zofia ‘Nora’ Król
They/They | 15 | Polish | 5’ | 103 lbs _______________________________________________ Enigmatic _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "What I lack in the academic world I make up for in the real world." ___________________________________
[All the drama] ⫻ Zofia has been involved in the theater since they were a kid. While they have earned the leading role once or twice, they are consistently happy playing the supporting role. They are able to do sing, dance, do stage makeup, and help with set construction and design. Auditions are next week for the unnamed play that the school will put on, and Zofia is incredibly excited to try and get a big role for her Sophmore year.
[Fierce Loyalty] ⫻ Zofia can be exceptionally loyal to those whom they considers ‘theirs’. They are protective, encouraging, and will be a warm presence in their life. There are few who will remember the small details about a person like Zofia does. From their favorite kind of tea, to the types of humor that get them belly laughing, to their favorite scenes in an anime, and their preference for snacks. They will defend their friends form bullies, offer a shoulder to cry on if needed, and just be there in the right way for the moment itself.
[Subculture Savvy] ⫻ Zofia is an unapologetic anime and manga enthusiast. As such, and despite their lack of academic skill, they wield a near encyclopedic knowledge of the various series they've watched, the tropes found within, and most importantly, the characters they brought to life. Beyond a love of anime and manga, this also reflects a broader comfort with niche interests and lends well to their presence in alternative spaces. Thus, Zofia can navigate conventions, online communities, and other places with ease.
[Reality-Hardened Perspective] ⫻ Zofia has lived a hard, but fulfilling life thus far. This has fostered a perspective that is both accurate and relatable. They can analyze a situation and figure out the details, and offer a perspective in a way that is approachable to all. Thus, Zofia is often able to be the voice of reason in unreasonable situations.
[Polish Connection] ⫻ Zofia grew up speaking Polish as her first language. Both her parents immigrated from Poland just before they were born, and as such, her first language is technically Polish. As they learned English early on, they had to act as translators for both of their parents. This is not a usable skill in a forgotten town in the middle of Pennsylvania, but they will often slip into their Polish if they want to cuss at someone or hurl insults without getting in trouble.
Appearance ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I swear I eat enough"
Zofia is someone whose appearance can only be described as simple. They have very pale skin that gives them a washed, porcelain look under the harsher lights of school and home. While a warmer light does tend to make them look more alive, they are not outside enough for others to notice. They have a slender build that features narrow shoulders. As a whole, they look underweight, and in truth, they are. They are not quite at ‘let’s an intervention for her’ level quite yet, but they have started to hear the rumors that they are either anorexic or bulimic. Their hair is a vibrant red color, one that they did themself with the help of their bestfriend. Their parents were most upset when they did this, yet it was too late to force them to stop or change it. Their hair is a shoulder-length shag that they get cut regularly. While the expense is not one they can afford to do often, it is still something that makes them feel more in control. They tend to favor the ‘no makeup’ makeup look, and will focus on their eyes and lips as opposed to doing a full face.
Zofia is a fan of anything that is comfortably oversized. They are often spotted in oversized shirts from professional sports teams, which, in truth, are hand-me-downs from their father. Jeans and jean shorts cut from jeans are also a common sight on their frame. For shoes, they have various Converse at various stages of disrepair. Everything that they have bought for themself has been bought at a thrift store, and as suc,h there is no clear fashion identity that they pay their respect to.
Psychology ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Oh. You’re not laughing. That was supposed to be a funny story from when I was young… Therapy? Why?"
MAIN GOAL ⫻ Zofia wants out of Cornell. Out of the final descent into the hell that is a rust belt town's decline, out of the perpetual boredom that keeps her inside with their animes, and they want to get away from their role as their parents' keeper. Ever since they were old enough to remember, they have taken care of both parents, and they would like nothing more than to be the priority for once in their own life.
PHILOSOPHY ⫻ Freedom is as important as food, water, and shelter. A caged animal grows frail behind bars, and the same is true for humans. When you put people in little boxes and expect them to be the perfect cog in the machine, the human spirit suffers. If you give people the freedom to express themselves, to be themselves, the world as a whole is better for it. Thus, they will always fight for their right to be themselves, for the right of their friends to be weird and free, and for the ability of everyone around them to be wholly themselves.
SECRETS ⫻ Zofia comes from a conservative, but loving family, and as such they have thus far kept their lesbian nature and their non-binary identity to themself. Their family is not overtly hateful; if anything, they are overly loving. Yet when they consistently vote for groups that aim to deny your existence without hesitation or concern because they are good for the economy, you begin to wonder where that love ends. Thus, in public and at home, they keep this secret, as they would rather keep their loving family for now than push for her own freedom.
They also hide most of their sadness. They are the rock that their friends are allowed to crash on, and they do not want others to do the same for them. They have friends who would be more than willing to be there to help, to allow Zofia to open up, yet they will never be willing to do that out of a fear that they are only as worthy as they are strong mentally.
They have flirted with suicidal ideations and have nearly attempted it once before. They had the blades on their wrists, but could not pull through. Still, if someone were to discover their diary, they would see they not only have the desire, but a plan as well.
They go by their middle name Nora. Every teacher, friend, and community member knows them as Nora. They keep their first name a secret as they were worried when they were younger that someone would bully them for it. They do like their first name, but this lie has gone on for so long they wonder what benefit they will have to revealing the truth.
SEXUALITY ⫻ Zofia is quite the fan of the ladies.
FEARS ⫻ Zofia fears that they belong in Cornell and will never escape it. The idea of being trapped in this depressing small town, year after year, fills her with a certain dread that was not matched until the monsters appeared. They watched their father fall deeper into the depressive habits that have defined his fatherhood, and their mother joined him in the rot. Thus, Zofia fears the same stagnation that killed what their parents could have been. The idea of being trapped in Cornell, of never escaping this small town, unsettles their mind. They fear the future where they must remain hidden from the world, and joins the rot. They also fear rejection from the people whose approval they pretend not to need. While they will pretend they don't hear the bullies when they target them, they do. And sometimes they wish they could have been just another girl, one popular enough they did not get an anxiety attack on the walk to school, and not too popular that they got roped into the problem itself.
REPUTATION IN CORNELL ⫻ Zofia is known as a fighter. They will fight for what they believe is right, fight for their friends, and fight to ensure that things improve. They are also known as the girl who has had to take care of two destitute parents who do little besides bring in enough money to keep a roof over their heads and food in their bellies.
FLAWS ⫻ Zofia is held back by their inability to ask for help. They’d rather shoulder their own burden than risk alienating their friends. Thus, they tend to be a ticking bomb of emotions that threaten to burst at even the slightest issue or problem.
They also do not apply themself to their full ability. They tend to keep a lot of their mental strength in reserve in order to deal with whatever mess awaits them at home.
Backstory ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Sometimes I stay up at night and wonder what the point of me being here is. I guess it all boils down to two idiots making a mistake, and when running from it they made another."
Some stories start during the present time, while others start near the end before they head back to the start, and Zofia’s story truly starts before their birth. Deep within the city of Warsaw, her father had made a terrible mistake. He was a member of the Czarne Wilki, known internationally as the Black Wolves. This was a local but powerful gang that peddled in drugs, weapons, and lives. In this group, he was an enforcer of some renown and he was steadily climbing the ranks of the crime family. During one of his many jobs, he made the mistake of using too much concussive persuasion on a mark and killed them. This triggered a localized fight between the gangs, and to make peace, his higher-ups were to offer him on a silver platter to the rival group. His father fled, with his newlywed wife in tow, across Europe. Eventually, they obtained a fake passport in France, and used the last of their money to fly all the way across the ocean to America, landing in the city that never sleeps itself, New York City. The two stayed for six months before they discovered that the wife was pregnant, and that the Black Wolves had eyes and ears even in this city. Using the last of their money, they fled further west until they settled in Cornell, Pennsylvania, and bought a house with what little they had left. Shortly thereafter, Zofia was born and this family began to try and make things work.
Yet despite their best effort to make the small house a home, there was never enough. They never had enough money to keep both the gas and the electricity on at the same time. Nor could they afford to always feed either themselves or the baby, or buy new clothes for themselves or diapers for Zofia. Her father tried, yet he could not get the images of the high life he lived out of his mind. He could see the champagne in front of him one moment, before the crying baby pulled him out of the memory back into the present horror. Zofia’s mother also suffered. She had friends, family, and a community back home that built her up and expected the world of her. She was a talented singer, dancer, and pianist. She used to play at the many clubs that dotted Warsaw, and she now had no outlet for her wants and desires, nor could she ever hope of being the star that she was born to be. Thus, by the time that Zofia could walk and talk, the two effectively checked out. Sure, she had her needs met as the two adjusted to their new reality, but she could tell even from a young age that she was neglected.
As the childhood years dragged on, Zofia developed her English skills and helped her father with his fledgling business. He had forged the certificates needed to do electrical work, and had some skill with the tools of the trade back home, and thus he used Zofia to help translate, communicate with prospective clients, and to haggle on his behalf. Yet when they got home, her father would collapse into a bottle and the couch and numb his mind with alcohol. Eventually, they would start school, where they were introduced to the love of their life: anime. It was a simple day in pre-school when they saw a girl wearing a Sailor Moon shirt. After learning what it was, they were invited over to watch, and when they saw what was on the screen, they became obsessed. They quickly convinced her family to buy a new TV, and move the old one into her room, and they began to watch whatever they could, and theytoo disappeared into the screen like her parents. However, they could not be fully immersed like their parents. They had to clean up after the mess they made. They had to ensure they did not drown in their vomit. They had to ensure that the stained clothes got washed before their parents got up to go to work. They had to cook dinner, otherwise they wouldn’t eat. They had to do everything. And they had to do it every day.
From cooking, to cleaning, to the dishes, to the laundry, to reminding her parents to do their taxes, to paying the bills, to pushing her parents to get out of bed in the morning to go to work. Zofia did it all. They had to learn to not only be self-reliant, but also a self-starter on all the chores around the house. While their parents were always thankful and pushed themselves to try to be better, all it would take was one setback at work, or at home, or anywhere for them to fall back down to the bottom and take months to crawl back out. Zofia kept finding relief from this perpetual nightmare through their anime, manga, and the online communities that discussed both. Online, they called themself ‘scarletnorthwind’, based off the character Scarlet El Vandimion, and with that name they were able to escape from the constant chaos that was real life. They discussed their theories, built up a community, and began to branch out and discover more of who they were through these online spaces. This confidence they gained eventually transferred to real life.
In their freshman year Zofia was a target of a bully. This bully was an upperclassman who simply reveled in the discomfort he could cause. One day, during lunch, they took the main course from their school lunch. Normally, on any other day, Zofia would let this slide. They would bring their food in from home, which they made themself. Usually it would be a Kanapki, but sometimes it was something more fanc,y like the leftover pierogies from dinner the previous night. This day, however, was Friday. School Pizza Friday. The one day of the week they would spend what little money they had to buy that terrible, yet somehow delicious pizza, that defied all logic. The one day out of the week that Zofia looked forward to the most when it came to lunch time. When the bully took this pizza, and walked over to the bully table, Zofia decided enough was enough. They took their metal tray, walked over behind them, and smashed it over their head. While it was not done as hard as they thought, it was still a decent ding that filled the lunch hall. They grabbed the pizza on the tray beneath the bully and walked back to their spot with their own dented tray. They were suspended for a week. Their parents were surprisingly proud—some bullshit about always defending yourself from those who wanted to hurt you.
The rest of their freshman year went by in a breeze. They would have verbal fights with certain people, make some great friends, and develop a desire to pursue their theater skills while in school. They joined the choir, band, and even started to push themselves academically which is a massive uphil battle. Tonight, however, a friend pushed them to go to a party at the warehouse. Their first party! For some reason, a sense of optimism fell over their mind as they walked through the doors.
Abstraction ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "A bloody good afair if I ever did see one."
TYPE ⫻ Adept
ABSTRACTION ⫻ Green Lux - their channeler is their pendant of Saint Stanislaus, which they wear around their neck. Zofia can open wounds on their body and use the blood to either pierce, cut, and cover a target before the blood itself detonates with concussive and bladed force.
PENDANT OF SAINT STANISLAUS ⫻ The Pendant was a gift from her parents when they were young. It was said that it would bring her great luck in life, and when she woke up from the dream that reality was it became their channeler. The way it works is when Zofia needs to use their magic, the Pendant acts as a conduit for their magic through their body. It does this by implanting itself into her skin, burrowing deep until the blood itself makes contact with it's surface. From here, the pendant constantly pushes their lux through their blood which charges it for use in all of their spells. Once they deactivate their spells, the pendant is rejected from their body.
HEMATIC LANCE ⫻ Nora channels their magic through her lucky charm, which causes both her wrists to open. They then pulls blood from the wounds and press the blood between their palms. Once the blood is in their palm, they then use their green lux to continuously compress the blood into a continuously more compact size. Eventually, once they have reached the point that they determine, they will push a beam of blood out through the gaps between their fingertips in a singular, fine beam. The blood beam travels fast and hits hard. It can cut through cloth with ease, and can even threaten the body of a target if they put sufficient time into increasing the power of the shot. The power of the eventual shot is determined by how long they hold the compression and how much of their lux they push into it.
CRIMSON PETAL BARRAGE ⫻ Instead of pulling their blood into the palms of their hands, Zofia can instead disperse it into the air around them in the form of razor-thin, petal-like blades of blood. These petals will orbit their body for a brief moment and will launch at the target that they aim for. Once fired, each petal will slice through the air and attempt to slice into whatever they hit. Zofi can direct them to curve slightly so it is possible for their projectiles to swarm a target, hitting all over on the attack. Each petal is surprisingly pretty to look at. Each second, they channel this ability a dozen petals are generated. As well, each Petal will have a tendril of blood that connects to their wrists, that sustain the petal before they harden and fire.
SANQUINE DETONATION ⫻ All of her ranged attacks, from their Crimson Petal Barrage to the Hematic Lance, are primers for her finishing move. All blood that is shot or seeded onto surfaces, or opponents are charged with their Green Lux and can be triggered remotely. When triggered, the blood violently expands and ruptures outward with rapid intensity and hardened spikes. The explosive expansion can cause concussive damage, and the spikes can rend flesh, destabilize footing, and turn a fight. The key is the amount of blood coating a surface or an individual. The less blood, the less power they have to wield. Yet this spell carries a heavy toll. To use it effectively, they must coat the target in large amounts of their blood, and the more blood they spend to coat it, the more they run the risk of feeling the effects of bloodloss.
BLOOD LOSS ⫻ When Zofia expends too much of their own blood, they enter a state known as Blood Loss. In Blood Loss, their body rapidly regenerates their own internal blood supply at the cost of their consciousness. Their wrists will heal, their body will begin to heal other wounds, but they will be unable to move or defend themselves for ten minutes. Afterwards, they will rise like Jesus on the third day. Blood loss does not fully recharge them, and instead, it will replenish just enough to get back up after the fight and will not help much during one.
LIMITS ⫻ They are limited by, namely, their own blood supply. As such, if they are not eating full, nutritious meals, they may find that they are firing a gun with half the bullets. As such, they will need to be smart with how and when they use their magic.
The force of their magic is on the weaker side for their two ranged spells and stronger with their detonation ability. Thus, they will need to be strategic and use their magic thinking two steps ahead of an enemy. A giant pool of blood primed for detonation is useless if an enemy is not standing in it. Using their brain is not a strength of theirs so they will be challenged to use these abilities to their full extent.
Even before they hit the Blood Loss stage Zofia will still suffer from the effects of normal blood loss. They will be easily confused, lose strength, and could even faint without the benefits of Blood Loss.
WEAKNESSES ⫻ (DO NOT FILL THIS OUT, I WILL PROVIDE IT FOR YOU)
Other ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "OH MY GOD THIS IS JUST LIKE THIS ONE ANIME I WATCHED. Instead of us waking up in another magical realm, we stayed here and woke up to a nightmare."
"I’d rather be at home right now, curled under my warm blanket, and watching my shows than dealing with whatever this is."
_______________________________________________ Zofia ‘Nora’ Król
They/They | 15 | Polish | 5’ | 103 lbs _______________________________________________ Enigmatic _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "What I lack in the academic world I make up for in the real world." ___________________________________
[All the drama] ⫻ Zofia has been involved in the theater since they were a kid. While they have earned the leading role once or twice, they are consistently happy playing the supporting role. They are able to do sing, dance, do stage makeup, and help with set construction and design. Auditions are next week for the unnamed play that the school will put on, and Zofia is incredibly excited to try and get a big role for her Sophmore year.
[Fierce Loyalty] ⫻ Zofia can be exceptionally loyal to those whom they considers ‘theirs’. They are protective, encouraging, and will be a warm presence in their life. There are few who will remember the small details about a person like Zofia does. From their favorite kind of tea, to the types of humor that get them belly laughing, to their favorite scenes in an anime, and their preference for snacks. They will defend their friends form bullies, offer a shoulder to cry on if needed, and just be there in the right way for the moment itself.
[Subculture Savvy] ⫻ Zofia is an unapologetic anime and manga enthusiast. As such, and despite their lack of academic skill, they wield a near encyclopedic knowledge of the various series they've watched, the tropes found within, and most importantly, the characters they brought to life. Beyond a love of anime and manga, this also reflects a broader comfort with niche interests and lends well to their presence in alternative spaces. Thus, Zofia can navigate conventions, online communities, and other places with ease.
[Reality-Hardened Perspective] ⫻ Zofia has lived a hard, but fulfilling life thus far. This has fostered a perspective that is both accurate and relatable. They can analyze a situation and figure out the details, and offer a perspective in a way that is approachable to all. Thus, Zofia is often able to be the voice of reason in unreasonable situations.
[Polish Connection] ⫻ Zofia grew up speaking Polish as her first language. Both her parents immigrated from Poland just before they were born, and as such, her first language is technically Polish. As they learned English early on, they had to act as translators for both of their parents. This is not a usable skill in a forgotten town in the middle of Pennsylvania, but they will often slip into their Polish if they want to cuss at someone or hurl insults without getting in trouble.
Appearance ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I swear I eat enough"
Zofia is someone whose appearance can only be described as simple. They have very pale skin that gives them a washed, porcelain look under the harsher lights of school and home. While a warmer light does tend to make them look more alive, they are not outside enough for others to notice. They have a slender build that features narrow shoulders. As a whole, they look underweight, and in truth, they are. They are not quite at ‘let’s an intervention for her’ level quite yet, but they have started to hear the rumors that they are either anorexic or bulimic. Their hair is a vibrant red color, one that they did themself with the help of their bestfriend. Their parents were most upset when they did this, yet it was too late to force them to stop or change it. Their hair is a shoulder-length shag that they get cut regularly. While the expense is not one they can afford to do often, it is still something that makes them feel more in control. They tend to favor the ‘no makeup’ makeup look, and will focus on their eyes and lips as opposed to doing a full face.
Zofia is a fan of anything that is comfortably oversized. They are often spotted in oversized shirts from professional sports teams, which, in truth, are hand-me-downs from their father. Jeans and jean shorts cut from jeans are also a common sight on their frame. For shoes, they have various Converse at various stages of disrepair. Everything that they have bought for themself has been bought at a thrift store, and as suc,h there is no clear fashion identity that they pay their respect to.
Psychology ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Oh. You’re not laughing. That was supposed to be a funny story from when I was young… Therapy? Why?"
MAIN GOAL ⫻ Zofia wants out of Cornell. Out of the final descent into the hell that is a rust belt town's decline, out of the perpetual boredom that keeps her inside with their animes, and they want to get away from their role as their parents' keeper. Ever since they were old enough to remember, they have taken care of both parents, and they would like nothing more than to be the priority for once in their own life.
PHILOSOPHY ⫻ Freedom is as important as food, water, and shelter. A caged animal grows frail behind bars, and the same is true for humans. When you put people in little boxes and expect them to be the perfect cog in the machine, the human spirit suffers. If you give people the freedom to express themselves, to be themselves, the world as a whole is better for it. Thus, they will always fight for their right to be themselves, for the right of their friends to be weird and free, and for the ability of everyone around them to be wholly themselves.
SECRETS ⫻ Zofia comes from a conservative, but loving family, and as such they have thus far kept their lesbian nature and their non-binary identity to themself. Their family is not overtly hateful; if anything, they are overly loving. Yet when they consistently vote for groups that aim to deny your existence without hesitation or concern because they are good for the economy, you begin to wonder where that love ends. Thus, in public and at home, they keep this secret, as they would rather keep their loving family for now than push for her own freedom.
They also hide most of their sadness. They are the rock that their friends are allowed to crash on, and they do not want others to do the same for them. They have friends who would be more than willing to be there to help, to allow Zofia to open up, yet they will never be willing to do that out of a fear that they are only as worthy as they are strong mentally.
They have flirted with suicidal ideations and have nearly attempted it once before. They had the blades on their wrists, but could not pull through. Still, if someone were to discover their diary, they would see they not only have the desire, but a plan as well.
They go by their middle name Nora. Every teacher, friend, and community member knows them as Nora. They keep their first name a secret as they were worried when they were younger that someone would bully them for it. They do like their first name, but this lie has gone on for so long they wonder what benefit they will have to revealing the truth.
SEXUALITY ⫻ Zofia is quite the fan of the ladies.
FEARS ⫻ Zofia fears that they belong in Cornell and will never escape it. The idea of being trapped in this depressing small town, year after year, fills her with a certain dread that was not matched until the monsters appeared. They watched their father fall deeper into the depressive habits that have defined his fatherhood, and their mother joined him in the rot. Thus, Zofia fears the same stagnation that killed what their parents could have been. The idea of being trapped in Cornell, of never escaping this small town, unsettles their mind. They fear the future where they must remain hidden from the world, and joins the rot. They also fear rejection from the people whose approval they pretend not to need. While they will pretend they don't hear the bullies when they target them, they do. And sometimes they wish they could have been just another girl, one popular enough they did not get an anxiety attack on the walk to school, and not too popular that they got roped into the problem itself.
REPUTATION IN CORNELL ⫻ Zofia is known as a fighter. They will fight for what they believe is right, fight for their friends, and fight to ensure that things improve. They are also known as the girl who has had to take care of two destitute parents who do little besides bring in enough money to keep a roof over their heads and food in their bellies.
FLAWS ⫻ What personal flaws or vices make things harder for them or others?
Backstory ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Sometimes I stay up at night and wonder what the point of me being here is. I guess it all boils down to two idiots making a mistake, and when running from it they made another."
Some stories start during the present time, while others start near the end before they head back to the start, and Zofia’s story truly starts before their birth. Deep within the city of Warsaw, her father had made a terrible mistake. He was a member of the Czarne Wilki, known internationally as the Black Wolves. This was a local but powerful gang that peddled in drugs, weapons, and lives. In this group, he was an enforcer of some renown and he was steadily climbing the ranks of the crime family. During one of his many jobs, he made the mistake of using too much concussive persuasion on a mark and killed them. This triggered a localized fight between the gangs, and to make peace, his higher-ups were to offer him on a silver platter to the rival group. His father fled, with his newlywed wife in tow, across Europe. Eventually, they obtained a fake passport in France, and used the last of their money to fly all the way across the ocean to America, landing in the city that never sleeps itself, New York City. The two stayed for six months before they discovered that the wife was pregnant, and that the Black Wolves had eyes and ears even in this city. Using the last of their money, they fled further west until they settled in Cornell, Pennsylvania, and bought a house with what little they had left. Shortly thereafter, Zofia was born and this family began to try and make things work.
Yet despite their best effort to make the small house a home, there was never enough. They never had enough money to keep both the gas and the electricity on at the same time. Nor could they afford to always feed either themselves or the baby, or buy new clothes for themselves or diapers for Zofia. Her father tried, yet he could not get the images of the high life he lived out of his mind. He could see the champagne in front of him one moment, before the crying baby pulled him out of the memory back into the present horror. Zofia’s mother also suffered. She had friends, family, and a community back home that built her up and expected the world of her. She was a talented singer, dancer, and pianist. She used to play at the many clubs that dotted Warsaw, and she now had no outlet for her wants and desires, nor could she ever hope of being the star that she was born to be. Thus, by the time that Zofia could walk and talk, the two effectively checked out. Sure, she had her needs met as the two adjusted to their new reality, but she could tell even from a young age that she was neglected.
As the childhood years dragged on, Zofia developed her English skills and helped her father with his fledgling business. He had forged the certificates needed to do electrical work, and had some skill with the tools of the trade back home, and thus he used Zofia to help translate, communicate with prospective clients, and to haggle on his behalf. Yet when they got home, her father would collapse into a bottle and the couch and numb his mind with alcohol. Eventually, they would start school, where they were introduced to the love of their life: anime. It was a simple day in pre-school when they saw a girl wearing a Sailor Moon shirt. After learning what it was, they were invited over to watch, and when they saw what was on the screen, they became obsessed. They quickly convinced her family to buy a new TV, and move the old one into her room, and they began to watch whatever they could, and theytoo disappeared into the screen like her parents. However, they could not be fully immersed like their parents. They had to clean up after the mess they made. They had to ensure they did not drown in their vomit. They had to ensure that the stained clothes got washed before their parents got up to go to work. They had to cook dinner, otherwise they wouldn’t eat. They had to do everything. And they had to do it every day.
From cooking, to cleaning, to the dishes, to the laundry, to reminding her parents to do their taxes, to paying the bills, to pushing her parents to get out of bed in the morning to go to work. Zofia did it all. They had to learn to not only be self-reliant, but also a self-starter on all the chores around the house. While their parents were always thankful and pushed themselves to try to be better, all it would take was one setback at work, or at home, or anywhere for them to fall back down to the bottom and take months to crawl back out. Zofia kept finding relief from this perpetual nightmare through their anime, manga, and the online communities that discussed both. Online, they called themself ‘scarletnorthwind’, based off the character Scarlet El Vandimion, and with that name they were able to escape from the constant chaos that was real life. They discussed their theories, built up a community, and began to branch out and discover more of who they were through these online spaces. This confidence they gained eventually transferred to real life.
In their freshman year Zofia was a target of a bully. This bully was an upperclassman who simply reveled in the discomfort he could cause. One day, during lunch, they took the main course from their school lunch. Normally, on any other day, Zofia would let this slide. They would bring their food in from home, which they made themself. Usually it would be a Kanapki, but sometimes it was something more fanc,y like the leftover pierogies from dinner the previous night. This day, however, was Friday. School Pizza Friday. The one day of the week they would spend what little money they had to buy that terrible, yet somehow delicious pizza, that defied all logic. The one day out of the week that Zofia looked forward to the most when it came to lunch time. When the bully took this pizza, and walked over to the bully table, Zofia decided enough was enough. They took their metal tray, walked over behind them, and smashed it over their head. While it was not done as hard as they thought, it was still a decent ding that filled the lunch hall. They grabbed the pizza on the tray beneath the bully and walked back to their spot with their own dented tray. They were suspended for a week. Their parents were surprisingly proud—some bullshit about always defending yourself from those who wanted to hurt you.
The rest of their freshman year went by in a breeze. They would have verbal fights with certain people, make some great friends, and develop a desire to pursue their theater skills while in school. They joined the choir, band, and even started to push themselves academically which is a massive uphil battle. Tonight, however, a friend pushed them to go to a party at the warehouse. Their first party! For some reason, a sense of optimism fell over their mind as they walked through the doors.
Abstraction ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "A bloody good afair if I ever did see one."
TYPE ⫻ Adept
ABSTRACTION ⫻ Crimson Florish - their channeler is their pendant of Saint Stanislaus, which they wear around their neck. Zofia can open wounds on their body and use the blood to either pierce, cut, and cover a target before the blood itself detonates with concussive and bladed force.
HEMATIC LANCE ⫻ Nora channels their magic through her lucky charm, which causes both her wrists to open. They then pulls blood from the wounds and press the blood between their palms. Once the blood is in their palm, they then use their green lux to continuously compress the blood into a continuously more compact size. Eventually, once they have reached the point that they determine, they will push a beam of blood out through the gaps between their fingertips in a singular, fine beam. The blood beam travels fast and hits hard. It can cut through cloth with ease, and can even threaten the body of a target if they put sufficient time into increasing the power of the shot. The power of the eventual shot is determined by how long they hold the compression and how much of their lux they push into it.
CRIMSON PETAL BARRAGE ⫻ Instead of pulling their blood into the palms of their hands, Zofia can instead disperse it into the air around them in the form of razor-thin, petal-like blades of blood. These petals will orbit their body for a brief moment and will launch at the target that they aim for. Once fired, each petal will slice through the air and attempt to slice into whatever they hit. Zofi can direct them to curve slightly so it is possible for their projectiles to swarm a target, hitting all over on the attack. Each petal is surprisingly pretty to look at. Each second, they channel this ability a dozen petals are generated. As well, each Petal will have a tendril of blood that connects to their wrists, that sustain the petal before they harden and fire.
SANQUINE DETONATION ⫻ All of her ranged attacks, from their Crimson Petal Barrage to the Hematic Lance, are primers for her finishing move. All blood that is shot or seeded onto surfaces, or opponents are charged with their Green Lux and can be triggered remotely. When triggered, the blood violently expands and ruptures outward with rapid intensity and hardened spikes. The explosive expansion can cause concussive damage, and the spikes can rend flesh, destabilize footing, and turn a fight. The key is the amount of blood coating a surface or an individual. The less blood, the less power they have to wield. Yet this spell carries a heavy toll. To use it effectively, they must coat the target in large amounts of their blood, and the more blood they spend to coat it, the more they run the risk of feeling the effects of bloodloss.
BLOOD LOSS ⫻ When Zofia expends too much of their own blood, they enter a state known as Blood Loss. In Blood Loss, their body rapidly regenerates their own internal blood supply at the cost of their consciousness. Their wrists will heal, their body will begin to heal other wounds, but they will be unable to move or defend themselves for ten minutes. Afterwards, they will rise like Jesus on the third day. Blood loss does not fully recharge them, and instead, it will replenish just enough to get back up after the fight and will not help much during one.
LIMITS ⫻ They are limited by, namely, their own blood supply. As such, if they are not eating full, nutritious meals, they may find that they are firing a gun with half the bullets. As such, they will need to be smart with how and when they use their magic.
The force of their magic is on the weaker side for their two ranged spells and stronger with their detonation ability. Thus, they will need to be strategic and use their magic thinking two steps ahead of an enemy. A giant pool of blood primed for detonation is useless if an enemy is not standing in it. Using their brain is not a strength of theirs so they will be challenged to use these abilities to their full extent.
Even before they hit the Blood Loss stage Zofia will still suffer from the effects of normal blood loss. They will be easily confused, lose strength, and could even faint without the benefits of Blood Loss.
WEAKNESSES ⫻ (DO NOT FILL THIS OUT, I WILL PROVIDE IT FOR YOU)
Other ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "OH MY GOD THIS IS JUST LIKE THIS ONE ANIME I WATCHED. Instead of us waking up in another magical realm, we stayed here and woke up to a nightmare."
"You’re trash bro, you’re trash. You couldn't cover me even if I threw it to myself, bitch."
_______________________________________________ Tyler Joseph Fox
That/Guy | 17 | White | 6 Feet 2 inches | 225 lbs _______________________________________________ Beast. _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "Hey shrimp, if you don’t finish my homework by the end of the day we are gonna have a problem.." ___________________________________
[Leader of Men] ⫻ As the star Quarterback for the Cornell Steelheads, Tyler is a natural-born leader of men stationed to shepherd the boys on his team. He is confident, persuasive, and motivating. Whether it is first and ten on the twenty-five or fourth and goal, with time about to expire and the game on the line, he knows just what to say to give his teammates the push they need to finish the mission strong.
[Born winner] ⫻ Tyler has never lost. In terms of the sport that he plays, ever since he first started playing Quarterback, Tyler has never lost a game. Whether he is the one to make the game winning play or simply the one to get everyone in the best position to win, Tyler does not take the thought of losing kindly. Thus, he will do whatever it takes to be a winner, even if he has to break a bone or two to do it. He finally got his chance to start in his sophomore year of high school due to some bullshit rule about Freshmen only playing on the freshman team, and he promptly carried a bad team to a State Championship win. As the spring semester ends, there are high hopes that he will repeat in his Junior year.
[A Bully’s Bully] ⫻ Tyler is not the biggest fan of bullying people he deems less than himself. There is no challenge in pushing a skinny nerd into a locker. Instead, he tends to focus what creative energy he has into bullying those who can fight back in some shape or fashion. Whether that is a wrestler who happens to cross his path or someone who isn’t afraid to bark back when he gets going, Tyler will focus his bullying energy on those individuals first. And he will be relentless. He relishes the challenge of picking on someone who won’t just roll over in fear, and he will be very persistent in ruining their day in creative ways. As well, if he sees someone bullying someone who is disabled, hurt, or just unable to defend himself, he will become the bully's bully. It is these individuals who receive his most creative strategies yet.
[You’re so bad] ⫻ Trash talk is an essential part of the football experience. If you are not trying to break someone down mentally while your team is breaking them physically, you will never break them spiritually. Tyler is well regarded for his ability to break down the walls that hold in a person's self-confidence. He will often pick out a couple of players each game, and every time he scores, he looks to where they are on the field and tracks them down, and lets them know just how worthless they truly are.
Appearance ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I am a bit simple, but I don’t need to do much let’s be real."
Tyler has a light, warm skin tone that is smooth and clear from blemishes. His complexion is clear, and he does his best to keep on top of his skin care. It is all a part of his branding. He wants to be that clean-cut, and healthy looking rising star that the scouts can begin to fall in love with. He has always had a lean and athletic build that he has honed to be more defined than bulky. It is clear that he spends countless hours inside the gym training up his body, and he will often try to show off this progress with sleeveless shirts and shorts. Tyler has a sharp yet still youthful look to his face, and he has a clean jawline and a straight nose despite the constant hits he takes on a yearly basis. Tyler likes to keep his hair short during the season, but during the offseason, he allows his hair to become medium length. It is brown, but the constant days under the sun have lightened the tone. Technically, the pattern is straight, yet he spends time each morning before class working product and weaving it in a casual, simple way. Tyler has a light pair of blue eyes. He always has a focused, steady look to him, whether on the field or in the classroom.
For clothing, Tyler likes to wear simple, clean, and stylish clothes. He tends to gravitate towards name-brand items, and he will often try to match his outfit to itself as best as possible. While he may gravitate towards athletic casual wear, he can dress up if a situation depends on it. During school hours, he may not, but a quick trip to a party might see a nice watch or necklace added to the ensemble.
Psychology ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I want to win. I want to be the best. And I want to make my dad proud."
MAIN GOAL ⫻ Tyler is a one-dimensional man. His goal in life is to win. Whether that is playing the game he supposedly loves, in the classroom, or in every other avenue, if there is a way for someone to come out on top, Tyler will push to be that person.
PHILOSOPHY ⫻ If you are not giving one hundred and ten percent of your effort, you are not trying hard enough. If Tyler can wake up at five in the morning, hit the gym, go for a run, eat breakfast, go to school, head to practice, head back to the gym, hit the film room with dinner, finish homework, and study for a test all in the same day, then so can everyone lazy enough to not put in the work. There is only one person to blame for failure and that is yourself.
SECRETS ⫻ While they are good at playing football, they are not sure they like it. While they are as gifted as any top prospect, he feels his heart isn’t fully in the game, nor was it ever. He knows deep down that his father pushed him into this life because of his own injury that took it from him, and no matter what, his father is not currently willing to lose the love of the game twice in one life. Thus, Tyler pushes himself a little too hard at times. Not just to prove to himself that he can, but a small part hopes for a way out through an injury. If he were to have his way, he might like to try the theater or maybe see if there is an artistic side hidden under his physical gifts.
Tyler is also much more intelligent than he lets on. While he always tries to be at the top of the class and consistently tests well, he never lets it be known. His friends all heard about how he barely passed a tough test that Mr. Douchebag made him take, but in truth, he scored a hundred without trying. His 4.0 is good, but his teachers are pushing for him to take classes that might push that weighted score up. If his friends learned how smart he was, he might be treated differently.
SEXUALITY ⫻ Tyler is a big fan of the ladies.
FEARS ⫻ That all this work he has put into himself to be the best quarterback in the state will be for nothing. He knows all too well that there is a jump from one level to the next in terms of skill and work required for success. He has handled the jump from pop warner, to middle school, to high school without much worry. Yet the next jump is the biggest one yet. Each team is filled with people who were some of the best on their own team. The third-string quarterback was once setting records for his school just a couple of years prior, and now he’s holding a clipboard because it was proven he did not have what it takes. What if that is his future? A scholarship that lasts only as long as the illusions his play enables.
Tyler also fears that he is not doing something that he loves, and that it is already too late to back out now. His teammates have it in their heads that with that cannon for an arm, they will fill that trophy case with at least two more. His father is already sending his tape to his prospective schools. The town itself is beginning to herald the arrival of a new superstar. If he were to quit, now, after all that he has done, and all that others have begun to expect of him, he’d never be able to show his face around town again.
REPUTATION IN CORNELL ⫻ The Golden Star with the Golden Cannon Arm. Everywhere he goes, those who pay attention to sports know who he is. He walks with a swagger, and he is constantly told stories about how his game was inspiring to them. That is, until you talk to someone who has been the target of his bullying. To them, Tyler is a jerk. An asshole. The one who thinks far too highly of their own ability.
FLAWS ⫻ Perfectionism: Tyler has impossibly high standards for himself. Anything less than flawless execution feels like a failure. Where others saw the perfect game at State's last season, he saw five passes he left on the field.
Overtraining: He struggles to recognize that even he, himself, has limits. Any rest feels like a weakness that needs to be exercised out of his body, so he often pushes himself well past exhaustion and pain. He has been lucky he hasn’t hurt himself; this luck will not last long.
Control Freak: Tyler tends to be in charge at all times, whether on the field or off. He finds it difficult to trust others to handle their roles in a situation without his interference.
Emotional Avoidance Rather than confronting any doubt, fear, or dissatisfaction with football, he buries it under his work and his training. The pressure is building, and if he does not confront these insecurities, he might explode.
Deflection: Tyler will outright refuse to take success on the chin. He tries to hide with false modesty and tries to gaslight others to fit his narrow view of what caused the win.
Fear of Vulnerability: A genuine connection is like oil to Tyler’s water. Opening up, revealing what he truly feels and how he is currently feeling, feels like surrendering his strength. He is rarely emotionally honest, and this has caused him to miss out on the close friendships he sees all around him.
Risky decisions: Tyler is willing, often unconsciously, to flirt with damage and harm. He actively ignores injuries or pushes himself past limits, all to escape the pressure of his father or prove how strong he is.
Backstory ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "When we win state again, maybe that will be enough.."
Football.
For some people, football is a simple enjoyment. On Saturday, you watch your favorite college team go to war, and then Sunday you do the same for the NFL. You buy the merch, you go to the games, and at the water cooler on Monday morning, in the office, you have a nice and easy conversation starter that you can whip out with Dave from accounting.
For the Fox family, Football is much more than that. Football is a way of life. From his earliest memories, Tyler remembers little other than the work he has put in to get to where he is today. All across the living room mantle in his parents' home, the fruit of these early years is present. Various trophies, ribbons, and other accolades from nearly ten full years of football are placed with the expert precision of a father who is all too proud of how good their son is. Tyler has played football since he was five years old, been practicing since he was three, and he is confident that his father made his wife watch game breakdowns with him while she was pregnant with Tyler. One might wonder why a father would push their young, first son into so much football so young, yet you would only need to look at the surname to figure out the truth. The Fox name is closely associated with James Fox, the former star running back of the Pittsburgh Steelers, whose career was cut tragically short due to a massive leg injury that he suffered at the end of his sophomore season within the league. The Cornell Steelheads count him among their hall of fame, and there are rumors that they were planning on changing the name of the stadium to honor him before the injury.
Thus, above everything else, football is a constant memory for Tyler. He does not have a memory of playing soldiers in the yard outside with his friends. Instead, all he can remember is football camps, two-a-days, practice, drills, training with dad, training with dad’s friends, private coaching, and time in the gym. This has helped him succeed in this profession and build the foundation for a possible run at the college level, yet this has done little to silence a nagging thought that he is making a mistake by dedicating his life to just one thing. When he hit the fifth grade, he argued with his dad because he saw how his two younger siblings were treated. Sophia was allowed to do whatever she wanted. She was encouraged to explore all her hobbies and to make changes as she moved forward in life. His younger brother, meanwhile, could do no wrong in his father’s eyes as he struggled to play teeball. If they were allowed to fail and explore what they wanted to, why couldn’t he? Winning can silence many things, and in his fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade years, the championships he won did much to push him back on the trajectory his father picked for him. The way his friends chanted his name, the way the coaches flung him praise, and the look on his fathers face as he held those trophies was the final lock on any desire he had to explore who he is further. At least, it did for a time.
When he got to high school, he was dismayed to learn that he was not allowed to try out for the varsity team. Freshmen, no matter how good, were assigned to their own team. Despite him playing lights out, he was not allowed to move forward until his sophomore year. The setbacks did not end there. When he arrived at camp, he was told that the team was the current quarterback's team, a senior named Chad. Despite being the better player, it took a minor injury to Chad to get onto the field, and when he did, there was no denying him his birthright going forward. Tyler led his team on a sensational run that culminated with the school's first state championship since his father played. The high from that game carried him through the rest of the year. Scouts took notice, and the buzz around campus is that next year, if he can repeat, he might be a heavily recruited prospect entering his final year of school.
While he is normally not one to party, his friends are dragging him to one to celebrate his birthday. Tonight will be a fun night to let off a little steam and refocus his energy for the next season.
Abstraction ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Listen. If you are going to be out of position, it is my job to fix it."
TYPE ⫻ Adept - Purple Lux
ABSTRACTION ⫻ Purple Lux, channeler is the championship ring on his finger. Field General is his ability to swap the position of any two objects within his vision with each other.
Field General ⫻ This is Tyler’s ability to be the general on the field. He has a keen awareness of objects, people, and other items within a thirty-foot radius around him. He can channel his magic, put his magic out into the world, and consciously select two objects. With a flip of the wrist, the two objects will swap their place in the world. They will take no damage from the transition, they will not suffer any ill effects, and they will just be in a different place. This can be as simple as two people swapping their place, and as complicated as him throwing a football towards a wall and swapping it with another person. To activate his power, he must first get into the right headspace. He must visualize the field before him and have a clear mental picture of where the two objects are. Without a clear visualization, he will be unable to activate the spell. Then, he must push his magic through his ring, which causes the gem to glow a dull purple color. Finally, once this is complete, he can pick the two objects like one picks which entree they want off a menu, and flicks the wrist with his channeler. The two objects will swap places in an instant without any further input needed, and maintain the other objects relative velocity.
LIMITS ⫻ First, Tyler must have a clear picture of his area. This is easy enough when one is in an open room or field. It gets a bit more confusing when he is in a crowded environment. While he has a passive understanding, he must know where each object is specifically. Thus, things that obscure his vision or distort what he can see effectively make this power worthless.
Second, this power is tied to his confidence. If he is not confident in his own ability to do the spell, the spell will simply refuse to work. While he does not know why, there is a certain definitiveness to the power that requires him to be as in control as possible to execute it.
WEAKNESSES ⫻ (DO NOT FILL THIS OUT, I WILL PROVIDE IT FOR YOU)
Other ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I will carry this if you just fucking let me."
Tyler has a bag filled with protein snacks. He will share if you ask.
"You’re trash bro, you’re trash. You could’t cover me even if I threw it to myself, bitch."
_______________________________________________ Tyler Joseph Fuchs
That/Guy | 17 | White | 74 inches | 225 lbs _______________________________________________ Beast. _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "Hey shrimp, if you don’t finish my homework by the end of the day we are gonna have a problem.." ___________________________________
[Leader of Men] ⫻ As the star Quarterback for the Cornell Cougars, Tyler is a natural-born leader of men stationed to shepherd the boys on his team. He is confident, persuasive, and motivating. Whether it is first and ten on the twenty-five or fourth and goal, with time about to expire and the game on the line, he knows just what to say to give his teammates the push they need to finish the mission strong.
[Born winner] ⫻ Tyler has never lost. In terms of the sport that he plays, ever since he first started playing Quarterback, Tyler has never lost a game. Whether he is the one to make the game winning play or simply the one to get everyone in the best position to win, Tyler does not take the thought of losing kindly. Thus, he will do whatever it takes to be a winner, even if he has to break a bone or two to do it. He finally got his chance to start in his sophomore year of high school due to some bullshit rule about Freshmen only playing on the freshman team, and he promptly carried a bad team to a State Championship win. As the spring semester ends, there are high hopes that he will repeat in his Junior year.
[A Bully’s Bully] ⫻ Tyler is not the biggest fan of bullying people he deems less than himself. There is no challenge in pushing a skinny nerd into a locker. Instead, he tends to focus what creative energy he has into bullying those who can fight back in some shape or fashion. Whether that is a wrestler who happens to cross his path or someone who isn’t afraid to bark back when he gets going, Tyler will focus his bullying energy on those individuals first. And he will be relentless. He relishes the challenge of picking on someone who won’t just roll over in fear, and he will be very persistent in ruining their day in creative ways. As well, if he sees someone bullying someone who is disabled, hurt, or just unable to defend himself, he will become the bully's bully. It is these individuals who receive his most creative strategies yet.
[You’re so bad] ⫻ Trash talk is an essential part of the football experience. If you are not trying to break someone down mentally while your team is breaking them physically, you will never break them spiritually. Tyler is well regarded for his ability to break down the walls that hold in a person's self-confidence. He will often pick out a couple of players each game, and every time he scores, he looks to where they are on the field and tracks them down, and lets them know just how worthless they truly are.
Appearance ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I am a bit simple, but I don’t need to do much let’s be real."
Tyler has a light, warm skin tone that is smooth and clear from blemishes. His complexion is clear, and he does his best to keep on top of his skin care. It is all a part of his branding. He wants to be that clean-cut, and healthy looking rising star that the scouts can begin to fall in love with. He has always had a lean and athletic build that he has honed to be more defined than bulky. It is clear that he spends countless hours inside the gym training up his body, and he will often try to show off this progress with sleeveless shirts and shorts. Tyler has a sharp yet still youthful look to his face, and he has a clean jawline and a straight nose despite the constant hits he takes on a yearly basis. Tyler likes to keep his hair short during the season, but during the offseason, he allows his hair to become medium length. It is brown, but the constant days under the sun have lightened the tone. Technically, the pattern is straight, yet he spends time each morning before class working product and weaving it in a casual, simple way. Tyler has a light pair of blue eyes. He always has a focused, steady look to him, whether on the field or in the classroom.
For clothing, Tyler likes to wear simple, clean, and stylish. He tends to gravitate towards name-brand items, and he will often try to match his outfit to itself as best as possible. While he may gravitate towards athletic casual wear, he can dress up if a situation depends on it. During school hours, he may not, but a quick trip to a party might see a nice watch or necklace added to the ensemble.
Psychology ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I want to win. I want to be the best. And I want to make my dad proud."
MAIN GOAL ⫻ Tyler is a one-dimensional man. His goal in life is to win. Whether that is playing the game he supposedly loves, in the classroom, or in every other avenue, if there is a way for someone to come out on top, Tyler will push to be that person.
PHILOSOPHY ⫻ If you are not giving one hundred and ten percent of your effort, you are not trying hard enough. If Tyler can wake up at five in the morning, hit the gym, go for a run, eat breakfast, go to school, head to practice, head back to the gym, hit the film room with dinner, finish homework, and study for a test all in the same day, then so can everyone lazy enough to not put in the work. There is only person to blame for failure and that is yourself.
SECRETS ⫻ While they are good at playing football, they are not sure they like it. While they are as gifted as any top prospect, he feels his heart isn’t fully in the game, nor was it ever. He knows deep down that his father pushed him into this life because of his own injury that took it from him, and no matter what, his father is not currently willing to lose the love of the game twice in one life. Thus, Tyler pushes himself a little too hard at times. Not just to prove to himself that he can, but a small part hopes for a way out through an injury. If he were to have his way, he might like to try the theater or maybe see if there is an artistic side hidden under his physical gifts.
Tyler is also much more intelligent than he lets on. While he always tries to be at the top of the class and consistently tests well, he never makes it known. His friends all hear about how he barely passed a tough test that Mr. Douchebag made him take, but in truth, he scored a hundred without trying. His 4.0 is good, but his teachers are pushing for him to take classes that might push that weighted score up.
SEXUALITY ⫻ Tyler is a big fan of the ladies.
FEARS ⫻ That all this work he has put into himself to be the best quarterback in the state will be for nothing. He knows all too well that there is a jump from one level to the next in terms of skill and work required for success. He has handled the jump from pop warner, to middle school, to highschool without much worry. Yet the next jump is the biggest one yet. Each team is filled with people who were some of the best on their own team. The third-string quarterback was once setting records for his school just a couple of years prior, and now he’s holding a clipboard because it was proven he did not have what it takes. What if that is his future? A scholarship that lasts only as long as the illusions his play enabled.
Tyler also fears that he is not doing something that he loves, and that it is already too late to back out now. His teammates have it in their heads that with that cannon for an arm, they will fill that trophy case with at least two more. His father is already sending his tape to his prospective schools. The town itself is beginning to herald the arrival of a new superstar. If he were to quit, now, after all that he has done, and all that others have begin to expect of him, he’d never be able to show his face around town again.
REPUTATION IN CORNELL ⫻ The Golden Star with the Golden Cannon Arm. Everywhere he goes, those who pay attention to sports know who he is. He walks with a swagger, and he is constantly told stories about how his game was inspiring to them. That is, until you talk to someone who has been the target of his bullying. To them, Tyler is a jerk. An asshole. The one who thinks far too highly of their own ability.
FLAWS ⫻ Perfectionism: Tyler has impossibly high standards for himself. Anything less than flawless execution feels like a failure. Where others saw the perfect game at State's last season, he saw five passes he left on the field.
Overtraining: He struggles to recognize that even he, himself, has limits. Any rest feels like a weakness that needs to be exercised out of his body, so he often pushes himself well past exhaustion and pain. He has been lucky he hasn’t hurt himself; this luck will not last long.
Control Freak: Tyler tends to be in charge at all times, whether on the field or off. He finds it difficult to trust others to handle their roles in a situation without his interference.
Emotional Avoidance Rather than confronting any doubt, fear, or dissatisfaction with football, he buries it under his work and his training. The pressure is building, and if he does not confront these insecurities, he might explode.
Deflection: Tyler will outright refuse to take success on the chin. He tries to hide with false modesty and tries to gaslight others to fit his narrow view of what caused the win.
Fear of Vulnerability: A genuine connection is like oil to Tyler’s water. Opening up, revealing what he truly feels and how he is currently feeling, feels like surrendering his strength. He is rarely emotionally honest, and this has caused him to miss out on the close friendships he sees all around him.
Risky decisions: Tyler is willing, often unconsciously, to flirt with damage and harm. He actively ignores injuries or pushes himself past limits, all to escape the pressure of his father or prove how strong he is.
Backstory ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "When we win state again, maybe that will be enough.."
Football.
For some people, football is a simple enjoyment. On Saturda,y you watch your favorite college team go to war, and then Sunday you do the same for the NFL. You buy the merch, you go to the games, and at the water cooler on Monday morning, in the office, you have a nice and easy conversation starter that you can whip out with Dave from accounting.
For the Fuchs family, Football is much more than that. Football is a way of life. From his earliest memories, Tyler remembers little other than the work he has put in to get to where he is today. All across the living room mantle in his parents' home, the fruit of these early years is present. Various trophies, ribbons, and other accolades from nearly ten full years of football are placed with the expert precision of a father who is all too proud of how good their son is. Tyler has played football since he was five years old, been practicing since he was three, and he is confident that his father made his wife watch game breakdowns with him while she was pregnanat with Tyler. One might wonder why a father would push their young, first son into so much football so young, yet you would only need to look at the surname to figure out the truth. The Fuchs name is closely associated with James Fuchs, the former star running back of the Pittsburgh Steelers, whose career was cut tragically short due to a massive leg injury that he suffered at the end of his sophmore season within the league. The Cornell Cougars count him among their hall of fame, and there are rumors that they were planning on changing the name of the stadium to honor him before the injury.
Thus, above everything else, football is a constant memory for Tyler. He does not have a memory of playing soldiers in the yard outside with his friends. Instead, all he can remember is football camps, two-a-days, practice, drills, training with dad, training with dad’s friends, private coaching, and time in the gym. This has helped him succeed in this profession and build the foundation for a possible run at the college level, yet this has done little to silence a nagging thought that he is making a mistake by dedicating his life to just one thing. When he hit the fifth grade, he argued with his dad because he saw how his two younger siblings were treated. Sophia was allowed to do whatever she wanted. She was encouraged to explore all her hobbies and to make changes as she moved forward in life. His younger brother, meanwhile, could do no wrong in his father’s eyes as he struggled to play teeball. If they were allowed to fail and explore what they wanted to, why couldn’t he? Winning can silence many things, and in his fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade years, the championships he won did much to push him back on the trajectory his father picked for him. The way his friends chanted his name, the way the coaches slung him praise, and the look on his fathers face as he held those trophies was the final locks on any desire he had to explore who he is further. At least, it did for a time.
When he got to highschool he was dismayed to learn that he was not allowed to try out for the varsity team. Freshmen, no matter how good, were assigned to their own team. Despite him playing lights out, he was not allowed to move forward until his sophomore year. The setbacks did not end there. When he arrived at camp, he was told that the team was the current quarterback's team, a senior named Chad. Despite being the better player, it took a minor injury to Chad to get onto the field, and when he did, there was no denying him his birthright going forward. Tyler led his team on a sensational run that culminated with the school's first state championship since his father played. The high from that game carried him through the rest of the year. Scouts took notice, and the buzz around campus is nthat ext year, if he can repeat, he might be a heavily recruited prospect entering his final year of school.
While he is normally not one to party, his friends are dragging him to one to celebrate his birthday. Tonight will be a fun night to let off a little steam and refocus his energy for the next season.
Abstraction ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Listen. If you are going to be out of position, it is my job to fix it."
TYPE ⫻ Adept - Purple Lux
ABSTRACTION ⫻ Master of the Field, channeler is the championship ring on his finger. Master of the Field is his ability to swap the position of any two objects within his vision with each other.
ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻ Master of the field is Tyler’s ability to be the general on the field. He has a keen awareness of objects, people, and other items within a thirty-foot radius around him. He can channel his magic, put his magic out into the world, and consciously select two objects. With a flip of the wrist, the two objects will swap their place in the world. They will take no damage from the transition, they will not suffer any ill effects, and they will just be in a different place. This can be as simple as two people swapping their place, and as complicated as him throwing a football towards a wall and swapping it with another person. To activate his power, he must first get into the right headspace. He must visualize the field before him and have a clear mental picture of where the two objects are. Without a clear visualization, he will be unable to activate the spell. Then, he must push his magic through his ring, which causes the gem to glow a dull purple color. Finally, once this is complete, he can pick the two objects like one picks which entree they want off a menu, and flicks the wrist with his channeler. The two objects will swap places in an instant without any further input needed.
LIMITS ⫻ First, Tyler must have a clear picture of his area. This is easy enough when one is in an open room or field. It gets a bit more confusing when he is in a crowded environment. While he has a passive understanding, he must know where each object is specifically. Thus, things that obscure his vision or distort what he can see effectively make this power worthless.
Second, this power is tied to his confidence. If he is not confident in his own ability to do the spell, the spell will simply refuse to work. While he does not know why, there is a certain definitiveness to the power that requires him to be as in control as possible to execute it.
WEAKNESSES ⫻ (DO NOT FILL THIS OUT, I WILL PROVIDE IT FOR YOU)
Other ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I will carry this if you just fucking let me."
Tyler has a bag filled with protein snacks. He will share if you ask.
"Oh yay. Social interactions. I just love being social with you fun people."
_______________________________________________ Evelynn Ann Serenelight She/Her | 16 | White | 62 In | 105 Lbs _______________________________________________ Oracle _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "I feel like I was meant to inherit this curse.." ___________________________________
[Quietly Polite] ⫻ Lynn is unfailingly polite. It is the kind of politeness that feels almost old-fashioned, as years of grief have taught her to speak gently, apologize quickly, and smooth over moments of conflict so that she never leaves a relationship with hateful words being the last thing she uttered. Her teachers have thought this was Lynn being the perfect student they all expected her to be, despite the hardship, yet this is just a mask that she forces herself to wear at all times. Classmates have often taken advantage of this kindness
[Puzzle-Minded] ⫻ Lynn finds comfort in patterns, riddles, and things that have answers, and this takes the form of crossword puzzles, problem-solving apps, and anything that involves logic. These make sense in ways life no longer does. Where others see frustration, Lynn sees something she can untangle. It’s less about winning and more about the quiet relief of pieces clicking into place.
[Lightweight] ⫻ Lynn has little experience with alcohol and absolutely no tolerance for it. Even small amounts leave her flushed, dizzy, and painfully aware of herself. The smell alone carries complicated memories she doesn’t like revisiting. Yet despite this she has developed a taste for it even at her young age. Her family is renowned for their ability to throw back shots, down beers, and consume until the very morning hours. It is only a matter of time before she can handle the amount her grandmother drinks and leaves out within her reach.
[Sleepless Mornings] ⫻ Sleep is unreliable. Some nights she barely drifts off; others are crowded with uneasy dreams she can’t fully remember. Either way, when morning does arrive, it often arrives heavy and with inertia. Lynn relies on strong coffee to get that extra push each morning, and lately she has added in a Gatorade or two after the nights she drinks. This has become somewhat of a normal occurrence for her, and as such she can shake off exhaustion much more efficiently than most.
[Guarded Heart] ⫻ Lynn is cautious with affection. Everyone she has truly loved has died, or is all the way on the other side of the country, back at her proper home. While she may be kind and quietly warm once someone earns her trust, it is an uphill battle to get there in the first place. Proper attention still can make her blush, yet genuine interest currently unsettles her far more than it excites. While it isn’t that she is against forming connections, it is just difficult to allow someone to get close after all that has happened. This has allowed her to stay one step ahead of the bullies in this new school.
Appearance ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I just hope they don’t look at me"
For someone who wishes nothing more than to disappear into the shadows, Lynn’s appearance is quite the contradiction. Her pale blonde hair falls in untidy waves, with uneven layers that look as though it was cut by her hand, in front of a vanity mirror, at two in the morning. Wispy bangs frame her face, though they never quite rest where she wants them, thus leading to a near-perpetually wind-swept, disheveled look. Her eyes are one of her striking features. They are defined by the dark eyeliner drawn with the practiced precision of one who has spent far too many hours with nothing but her tools, a mirror, and YouTube tutorials. This eyeliner is one of the few consistencies with her appearance, as the slow, steady process of tracing and filling is an area she has complete control over when life is anything but. The makeup gives her gaze an intensity that never quite matches her timid nature. Lynn does not mind if she can give herself a resting bitch face and keep the boys and girls at arm's length. Without the makeup, she looks softer and easier to read, and with she feels more in control of her space.
Jewelry is a sparingly present detail, yet each piece she wears is chosen with deliberate intention. Around her neck, she has layered various necklaces, each one belonging to either her mother or sister, and she places a star-shaped pendant on top. According to her father, to whom it belonged, the pendant is the sigil of her family. All she does with it is twiddle it between her fingers when she gets anxious. A fake, small nose ring is often present over her left nostril. Like the eyeliner and the messy hair, this is used to make her look less approachable. For clothes, she tends to lean towards oversized jackets, dark tones, thrifted designs, and all paired with simple tops and cinched belts. Nothing is ever flashy or loud, but each piece helps her feel slightly less visible while still holding onto the fragments of her own identity.
Psychology ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "If I stay still enough, maybe the world will forget I'm here.
MAIN GOAL ⫻ Once upon a time, Lynn dreamed of greatness, success, and stability, but all she has experienced has been insignificance, failure, and a constant need for reinvention. Thus, her current goal is quieter, heavier, and far more fragile. All she wants in this world, in life, is for the pain of existence to stop noticing her. She wants to move through halls unseen, to exist without probing questions, or pitying looks, and above all else, without that awful pause people make when they learn what happened to her family. She wants to be gone, not physically, but in the social, emotional sense.
PHILOSOPHY ⫻ The pain of all she has endured has hallowed Lynn. She leans, perhaps unconsciously, towards a nihilistic viewpoint of life. It is not a dramatic or reckless view, but instead the muted and exhausted variant that seems ever more prevalent with people her age. She has the sense that meaning is a flimsy idea humanity made to make sense of the senseless. She views plans for today and tomorrow as some temporary thing subject to the whims of an uncaring universe that can, and will, take away everything at the drop of a dime without cause or meaning. It would take quite a lot of prodding to get her to reveal this, as being invisible to others means that you can’t quite give them ammunition to fire at you when they do notice your presence.
SECRETS ⫻ Lynn is responsible for the death of her family, or so she thinks. Before the accident that claimed their lives, she had a bitter fight with her mother. She did not want to go out to the woods that night. It was already late, she was tired, and she felt uneasy in the dark woods on a good day as is. She did not want to go; she did not want to have dinner at her family's friend's house, and her mother just did not get it. They both exchanged sharp blows with their words, yet the teenage anger that Lynn had brought to wield was quickly beaten down and broken by the unbridled, uncaring parent who was all too done with their children. They left fifteen minutes late, and then the crash followed.
Not a soul knows the true details of what happened before the crash, and as such, no one has blamed her or held her accountable for her actions that led to it. Yet all through Lynn’s mind, she has chained herself as the cause that led to the consequences of her actions with a merciless certainty.
SEXUALITY ⫻ Straightish. Lynn assumes she likes boys. That is the narrative she understands, the one that feels safest, simplest. Anything beyond that remains an option that she has neither explored nor considered exploring. At least yet.
FEARS ⫻ Lynn truly only has a few fears, and none of them are quite visible. While she fears the eventual questions every kid her ages asks, such as what do your parents do? She fears how a relationship can change when someone learns that you just went through a heavy loss. She also fears sleeping as her dreams can often blur into something too vivid. She has relived the accident more than once.
REPUTATION ⫻ The sad new girl. The quiet one. The outsider on the outside of social circles, without ever quite entering them. Lynn is easy to overlook, easier to misunderstand. Some students ignore her entirely. Others whisper. A few, lacking cruelty’s self-awareness, turn her grief into uncomfortable jokes. She has not been in Cornell long enough to become anything more defined than a body with a name.
FLAWS ⫻
Avoidance: Lynn retreats from discomfort rather than confronting it, whether that means dodging conversations, emotions, or conflict.
Emotional Suppression: She bottles feelings so tightly they emerge with a fiery explosion. This often presents as unexplained bouts of crying, fiery rage, and a burning hatred that can be impossible to put out.
Catastrophic Thinking: Her mind habitually leaps to worst-case outcomes, making even small uncertainties feel giant. This often leads to rumination and a spiral downward.
Self-Blame: Lynn internalizes guilt, accepting responsibility for things far beyond her control.
Social Withdrawal: Connection feels dangerous, leading her to isolate even when loneliness aches.
Backstory ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "If I could only rewind time, what a treat that would be."
For the Serenlight family, loss has been a persistent stain that has clung to the name like a genetic disorder rather than fate. Even from a young age, she can remember how her parents spoke of her father's siblings, parents, cousins, aunts, and uncles in an increasingly past tense. Often this took the form of a health complication arriving when least expected, an accident that seemingly came out of nowhere, or even violent encounters in places that should have been safe. Thus, in the town they called home, the Serenlight name has often carried sympathy in most circles, and a visible discomfort in others. Despite the chaos of death, in disregard for the cruel hand that fate often delivered, Lynn’s family raged against this seemingly inevitable fate to build a gentle, kind, and loving start to their lives. Lynn remembers the warmth her youth had, the joy she experienced, and the happiness that was all too present.
Growing up in Oregon, in the harbor town of St. Portwell, Lynn remembers the seagulls that shouted so loudly above her head when they went to the beach, and the smell of salt that grew stronger the closer you got. Lynn remembers how the rainy season was more of a cleansing time, rather than the dull grey it ended on, and she fondly recalls the countless nights spent at the Halloween festival, and she still has all the stupid photos that she forced her parents to spend far too much money on so she could always remember her costumes and the nights they enabled. The art district was her mother's favorite place, and the two would often spend their lazy afternoons after school was out browsing and admiring the effort and talent on full display in the city. Her father, meanwhile, often took her and her siblings out to the piers with fishing rods in hand early in the mornings, and the group would work together in silence to catch a small haul. The goal was never to catch the fish; however, it was just a way for this family to spend time together every chance they got.
In school, she was not entirely popular, but she was never disliked. She was often labeled a teachers pet as she had a love of being the one to answer questions. Thus, it was no surprise that she joined the debate team as soon as she entered high school. With her talent and smarts, the school placed on the podium those two years she helmed the ship. She also had a love of music and quickly found a second home on the marching band's field with her trombone. Life was good for quite a long while here, and then the fracture came that broke it all apart.
Her father was friends with many people, and as such, her family would often be invited over for dinner. On the night in question, they were to drive almost an hour out of town into the woods to visit a close family friend. The problem was that Lynn did not want to go. In her mind, this was a punishment that felt like it was neither deserved or appropriate. All she had done earlier that day was ask if she could go hang out with her best friend, and her mom snapped and said that they already had plans. A bitter argument started, stopped, and started again. It was little more than a simple misread of emotions, combined with a teenager's anger and angst, yet the result was that their family left their house almost thirty minutes later than anticipated. And no sooner after they left the city proper did she see headlights, hear the squeal of brakes, the sound of metal crushing, and then silence when there should have been voices. The crash had stolen her parents and siblings in a single, vicious moment, leaving Lynn alone, dangling upside down in the car, with nary a scratch or bruise to show for it. She was taken to the hospital and stayed for a couple of days with a concussion, and then she was placed into an emergency foster home as the authorities tried to figure out where she went next. While this took place, she went to therapy several times a week, and progress was slow.
A few months later, she was shipped across the country to Cornell, Pennsylvania. They had gotten in contact with her last living relative, her mother's mother, and she was welcomed into her home with open arms and with true love. While it was cleaned up for the inspections, by the third night living with her grandmother, Lynn could tell that her mother's death was as hard on her grandmother as it was on her. Alcohol became a constant sight, as her mother was an only child; this meant that her grandmother had also lost almost all her living relatives, all save for Lynn. It has been two weeks since she arrived, and Lynn has yet to ask for a return to therapy. While it was starting to be helpful, the words remained stuck in her throat. Part of her yearns to be free of this burden, while another tries to convince her that she does not deserve peace after what she caused. Instead, she started school in an unfamiliar place filled with unfamiliar faces, and as she drifts through the unfamiliar halls, carrying the memories of a brighter life that has all been lost.
Tonight is a night that might change her fate. An unknown number texted her, telling her about this party that might be fun. As a sort of first step to getting better, Lynn decided to go and put herself out there. She wondered what a party at a warehouse was like?
Abstraction ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I don’t know how to describe it other than confusing. Things that can, will, and won’t happen all presented as absolute truth."
TYPE ⫻ Aberration-Afflicted
ABSTRACTION ⫻ Foresight - Evelynn can pull on her magic to see the possible futures ahead of her, yet she is beset by misfortune in the present.
THE GIFT OF FORESIGHT ⫻ Across the multiverse, certain truths do not bend. The Hound will eventually claim all adepts, monsters lurk in the shadows, and magic only brings conflict to mortals. The Serenelight bloodline is one such constant. No matter the world, no matter the version, those born into that name can awaken the Gift and Foresight and gain the Curse of Misfortune. Not all Serenlights will gain the visions, yet every one of them will experience misfortune. While it has been hard, the blood always seems to survive the misfortune long enough to pass on the curse, and potential gift, to the next generation. Typically, this gift can be awakened during times of intense emotional distress or during chaotic situations. Lynn came the very night the fabric of reality was torn asunder, and she was left defenseless during the resulting carnage.
When she activates her magic, her eyes turn a vibrant jade green. Her body becomes completely motionless, her breathing slows, and her body becomes rigid. In an instant, she is brought to the possible futures. For her, the possible future manifests as a living structure within her perception. It is a vast, branching tree of possibility where the present is the trunk, the roots are the countless paths that led to this exact moment, and above her stretches the canopy, presenting as an ever-multiplying chaotic mess of branches and leaves that are of futures yet to be decided. From here, she can activate her magic again to view a possibility and the outcome by metaphorically grabbing a branch. This is a place apart from our reality. Thus, Lynn has simply begun to call this place The Garden. While the horizon seems to stretch as far as the eye can see she can move nowhere but closer to the tree. If she tries to walk away, no matter how far or how fast she runs, nor how much the ground beneath her changes, she will move not an inch away in reality. She has a strong intuition that directs her to grab specific branches. While this intuition gets her close, she has no idea which one is the true future. This intuition manifest by bringing branches closer to the ground within reach of her arms. When she touches the branch, she witnesses the events as they happen from the moment she entered The Garden.
That’s because within these branch she witnesses possibilities. On one hand, she can quickly dart to the future and see if walking down a street is safe. The buildup to the present has already happened, so something so soon will only have one branch, or a few, branches she can reach. Thus, her ability to discern the future is relatively easy for things about to happen. But the tree does not offer clarity freely. As soon as she aims to see what will happen, fifteen, ten, even five minutes in the future becomes as much as guessing game as trying to win a game of cards. True futures will twist together with false ones, and each branch can split again with every variable. Her decisions, others’ decisions, random chance, invisible interference, the hand of god, and a million, million different possible ways to interfere with what the truth is. The sheer volume is dizzying as each vision becomes more of a ‘could be’ versus the certainty that the immediate future offers.
Interpretation thus is everything, and her interpretation is imperfect. There will only ever be one true future, and often this is hidden in what she sees. Even if everything does not play out exactly as she has seen it, when you have as many variables in play that can affect the future eventually they all can tend to agree on the direction they want to travel as they grow. When she is in the possible future and in front of the tree, time moves differently for her. She can view tens of possibilities in the time it would take to speak a sentence. As well, she can remember the possibilities with a peculiar clarity, able to recite what she saw with an often ominous delivery.
THE CURSE OF MISFORTUNE ⫻ While the Gift of Foresight is a strong, if unreliable, ability, it comes with a high cost. Evelynn is burdened by the Curse of Misfortune. The Gift of Misfortune is either a cosmic balancing force thrust on her bloodline to limit the spread of the seers, or just a natural affect when one views things that are yet to come. Either way, Evelynn is cursed by misfortune. Misfortune comes at the bloodline in many forms. Sometimes, a child is born with a rare, genetic defect that they simply lucked out on when they acquired it. Other times, a falling object will adjust its trajectory to land on them when it would have landed safely away. And death is always lurking one step behind them, ready to send a drunk driver their way, or cause the foundation to fail from underneath them, or cause a normally safe weapon to discharge when pointed in their direction, and so on.
The Curse of Misfortune has claimed almost every last Serenelight throughout their family's existence. It is not something that can be dismissed with a cleansing spell, or protected against, or warded away. It is simply a fact of life for this bloodline. Even before reality was torn asunder, this part of their universal constant hunted them, without giving them their foresight. Which ancient did this family piss off to earn such disdain? Or is this the price of entry to The Garden, one that has to be paid in advance and every day after admission?
LIMITS ⫻
Lynn never sees the future as a certainty, only the possibilities that stretch as far as they do tall. The visions show what might happen, not what will. False futures can appear just as vivid as truthful ones, forcing her to guess which branches hold the weight of truth.
The further she peers, the longer she must remain trapped in her trance-like state, leaving her physically vulnerable. As well, extended use fractures her focus, blurring the boundary between vision and reality, present and possibility.
WEAKNESSES ⫻
Other ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Even with this power, I still can't win the lottery."
Lynn always has a pack of high-quality treats in her purse or otherwise on her body. She will not share..
Gotta be Cougars. I like the way it rolls off the tongue.
[center][img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/dHRmLjEwNi5iNTBiZmUuU0dWc2JHOGdZVzVrSUhkbGJHTnZiV1VzLjA,/overunder-personal-use.regular.webp[/img]
I have gone by many names over my life, and the one I go by here is Nori.
I am a non-binary individual who has a love of participating in these stories and creating my own. I am incredibly chronically ill. If my illness flares up too much I may be pulled away.[/center]
<div style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><div class="bb-center"><img src="https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/dHRmLjEwNi5iNTBiZmUuU0dWc2JHOGdZVzVrSUhkbGJHTnZiV1VzLjA,/overunder-personal-use.regular.webp" /><br>I have gone by many names over my life, and the one I go by here is Nori.<br><br>I am a non-binary individual who has a love of participating in these stories and creating my own. I am incredibly chronically ill. If my illness flares up too much I may be pulled away.</div><br></div>
Member
Evil Ghost Note
Atrophy
Blizz
Neziul
CassidyTheButch
FernStone
AtomicEmperor
Haha
