[@NoriWasHere] My last character submission! :) [hider=Sarai][color=A9A8AF][CENTER][img]https://i.imgur.com/PMGNDTY.png[/img][/CENTER] [i][color=2590CC]"My kindness should not be mistaken for approval."[/color][/i] [table][row][/row][row][cell] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/gtTzICx.png[/img] [sup]_______________________________________________[/sup] [sub]Sarai [b]|[/b] She/Her [b]|[/b] 20 [b]|[/b] Elf (Seelie), Indonesian [b]|[/b] 5'2" [b]|[/b] 110 lbs [sup]_______________________________________________[/sup] Traditional [sup]_______________________________________________[/sup] Skills & Talents[/sub] [i][color=2590CC]"Faith is not just belief—it is action, commitment, and sacrifice."[/color][/i] [sup]___________________________________[/sup][/center][hider=] [sub] [b][color=2590CC]Multilingual ⫻[/color][/b] Sarai is fluent in multiple languages, including Indonesian, Arabic, and English. [b][color=2590CC]Traditional Islamic Knowledge ⫻[/color][/b] Sarai has a strong understanding of Islamic teachings, rituals, and prayers. This knowledge shapes much of her moral compass and guides her spiritual decisions in life. [b][color=2590CC]Mental Discipline ⫻[/color][/b] Her strong religious upbringing taught Sarai the importance of controlling her mind and emotions. This mental discipline allows her to remain calm in the face of personal struggles and distractions, which is useful in both her magic and daily life. [b][color=2590CC]Memorization ⫻[/color][/b] Her habit of studying every detail means she rarely forgets things, from schedules to historical facts. Sarai's potent memory is a valuable asset, but sometimes a burden too. [b][color=2590CC]Strategic Thinking ⫻[/color][/b] Having come from a family embedded in politics, Sarai has inherited a sharp mind for strategy and problem-solving. She can quickly assess situations and devise plans of action, particularly when navigating social dynamics or figuring out how to help others. [/sub][/hider] [/cell][cell][sub][b] Appearance[/b][/sub] [sub][sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup][/sub] [i][color=2590CC]"If you must know, it's called a tudong."[/color][/i] [indent] Sarai is a petite young woman with warm, tan skin and dark brown, almond-shaped eyes that carry the weight of unspoken sorrows. Her features are delicate and composed, with a quiet elegance. In public, she is always wrapped in the modest grace of a traditional tudong or hijab (concealing her Elvish ears), the fabric draping her with a practiced precision that speaks of both devotion and discipline. Her attire is simple yet refined, a reflection of the values instilled in her from childhood. Though she moves with poise and certainty, there is a lingering softness in her expression, a distant look in her gaze, as if her mind is always halfway elsewhere. In private, when the world is not watching, Sarai allows herself small indulgences in the form of delicate adornments. Her hair, cut into a short bob with soft bangs framing her face, is often decorated with crystal jewelry—a tiara, a headband, or small, crystal hair clips, each one a treasured gift from her sisters before she left Indonesia. They are the only tangible remnants of the life she abandoned, quiet tokens of a love she cannot return to, yet refuses to let go of. Though she rarely speaks of the past, it lingers in the way she holds herself, in the faint melancholy that never quite leaves her eyes. Even in moments of joy, there is an underlying sadness to her presence, as though she is always carrying something heavy and unseen. [img]https://i.imgur.com/mEsutGO.png[/img] [/indent] [/cell][/row][/table][sub][b] Psychology[/b][/sub] [sub][sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup][/sub] [i][color=2590CC]"There is an order to things, and I find comfort in that."[/color][/i] [INDENT][b][color=2590CC]MAIN GOAL ⫻[/color][/b] Sarai wants to build a life for herself where she can exist freely, outside the suffocating expectations of her family. Though she has escaped the fate of an arranged marriage, she still grapples with the weight of what she left behind. She seeks stability and purpose in her new life, trying to reconcile her faith with the choices she has made. More than anything, she desires to prove—to herself, if not to others—that she can forge her own path while still holding on to the core of who she is. [b][color=2590CC]PHILOSOPHY ⫻[/color][/b] Sarai believes in the balance of fate and free will—what is meant to happen will happen, but that does not absolve her of responsibility in shaping her own destiny. Her faith is an anchor, keeping her grounded even as she questions many things about the world and herself. She is deeply introspective, believing that patience, discipline, and devotion can guide her through any trial. However, she also acknowledges that life is full of hardship, and not everything can be avoided simply by doing what is expected. [b][color=2590CC]SECRETS AND FEARS ⫻[/color][/b] Sarai does not want anyone to know about her political relations in Indonesia and so, she has curated a lie she tells everyone about her upbringing being much more mundane and uninteresting. She also fears drowning, again, due to the traumatizing experience she had when her magic first manifested, so she avoids swimming and open waters. [b][color=2590CC]SEXUALITY ⫻[/color][/b] Heterosexual likely, but right now, she has no interest in anyone of any sort. [b] [color=2590CC]WHAT WAS THE FIRST DAY WITH MAGIC LIKE? ⫻ [/color][/b] The night Sarai's magic manifested, a child drowned in Twin Pines. At least she'd spared that child the pain and suffering of a cruel and untimely demise, tucking their mind away into a happy memory as she took over their body and felt the pain of drowning in their place, the agony of not being able to breathe was an indescribable experience. In some ways, it haunts her even now. To "awaken" in her room, knowing this child still died, harboring their pain in every regard. She felt that child die as if it were her, only, after all was said and done, it wasn't. It still keeps her up at night. [b][color=2590CC]FLAWS ⫻[/color][/b] Sarai's desire to live a life of quiet rebellion against her family sometimes manifests as a tendency to shut people out, isolating herself in moments of conflict rather than seeking support. While her intellect and strategic thinking serve her well, Sarai can be overly cautious, often overthinking situations instead of acting impulsively when the moment calls for it. She can also be quick to judge others who appear to be living too freely or in contrast to her own values, masking a lingering sense of guilt and shame that she’s yet to fully confront. [/INDENT] [sub][b] Backstory[/b][/sub] [sub][sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup][/sub] [i][color=2590CC]"My family sees my absence as betrayal."[/color][/i] [indent] Sarai had always known duty, discipline, and the weight of expectation. Born into a powerful political family in Indonesia, she was raised with the understanding that she was not just a daughter, but a symbol of tradition, an extension of her father’s legacy. As one of six daughters, she had been shaped to embody perfection—devout, obedient, and unwavering in her role as the ideal woman. She was to be a wife, a mother, a quiet but dignified pillar of her future husband’s household. There was no room for questioning, no space for personal dreams. When her parents arranged her engagement to a man of considerable status, she did not resist at first. It was what was expected. But beneath his polished exterior lay a cruel and violent nature. The signs were subtle at first—an offhanded comment that stung like a blade, a grip on her wrist that lingered too long, an unshakable sense of unease in his presence. When she voiced her concerns, they were dismissed. A wife must endure. A wife must be patient. A wife must obey. But Sarai was not a wife yet. And she would not become one. On the night she fled, she severed more than just her engagement—she cut herself away from everything she had ever known. She sought refuge in the small town of Twin Pines, where her estranged aunt Bethari had lived in secret for years. Sarai’s parents had spoken of Bethari in hushed, disapproving tones, calling her selfish, reckless, unworthy of their name. Yet, when Sarai arrived at her doorstep, Bethari did not turn her away. She took her in without question, providing her with shelter, a new home, and the freedom to exist outside the rigid confines of her past. But freedom came with its own burdens. Sarai had spent her life suppressing every desire, every emotion, every stray thought that did not align with the path set for her. In Twin Pines, she was unmoored, uncertain of who she was beyond her Islamic faith and the girl she had been trained to be. And then, one fateful night, her magic awakened. A child drowned in Twin Pines that night. A cruel accident, an untimely death. Sarai had not understood what was happening when her consciousness slipped from her body, when she saw herself through the eyes of an owl—white and grand, detached from flesh and bone. She had not known she was capable of such a thing. Soaring over Twin Pines, it was surreal, tranquil even, looking at the moon and the city lights below from so high above. That was until she saw the child gasping frantically in a local lake. She wasn't sure what to do, but what she did know, in the moment of desperation, was that she could not let that child suffer. She had reached out without thinking, her astral form making contact with the child's failing body. And then she was there, inside them, as their mind was swept away into a place of warmth and light, an illusion of peace crafted from their happiest memory. She did not know if the child’s mind would have understood what was happening, but they had not fought her. They had simply gone, weightless and unburdened, leaving her behind to endure the horror of their final moments. The agony of drowning was indescribable. The burning in her lungs, the panic clawing at her mind, the crushing weight of the water pressing in from all sides. She had felt it all. And then—nothing. When she returned to her own body, gasping and disoriented, the truth settled over her like a shroud. The child had died. She had spared them the pain, but not the fate. She had felt them die as if it had been her, only, after all was said and done, it wasn't. Even now, the memory haunts her. The knowledge that she had held death in her hands and had been powerless to change its course. That night had shown her what she could do, but it had also revealed the limits of her gift. She could take pain, she could grant peace, but under the most unfortunate circumstances, she could not defy the inevitable. She carries that weight with her still, a quiet, unspoken grief woven into the fabric of her existence. She does not know if what she did was mercy or something else entirely. All she knows is that, for one fleeting moment, a child’s last memory had been a happy one. And perhaps, in a world filled with suffering, that was enough. [/indent] [sub][b] Magic[/b][/sub] [sub][sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup][/sub] [i][color=2590CC]"In their pain, I find my own—only I cannot fix it, only feel it."[/color][/i] [indent] [b][color=2590CC]MAGIC ⫻[/color][/b] Astral Sanctuary; This magical gift allows Sarai to project her consciousness as a mystical white owl and use this astral form to inhabit another’s body while their mind is sent to a dreamlike refuge called Sanctuary. [b][color=2590CC]MAGIC DESCRIPTION ⫻[/color][/b] This strange magical power allows Sarai to separate her consciousness from her body in an astral form, manifesting it as a great white owl with luminous eyes. In this spectral state, Sarai's owl can soar through the skies unseen (though she can allow her astral form to be seen by others if she wishes), allowing her to see through her owl's eyes, but leaving her vacant physical body in a state of deep unconsciousness. When her owl is near someone, she can communicate with them telepathically, creating a proximity link of the minds, if you will. If her owl makes contact with someone, Sarai's consciousness slips gently into that person's body, seamlessly taking their place while their own mind is ushered into Sanctuary—a sacred, ever-shifting dreamlike refuge shaped by their deepest sense of peace and happiness. Some find themselves in a happy memory or the warm embrace of a long-lost loved one, or even a place that never truly existed, woven from the fragments of longing, nostalgia, and hope. In Sanctuary, there is no pain, no fear—only solace. While occupying another’s body, Sarai assumes full control and inherits their skills, memories, talents, and even magical powers, though mastery is often imperfect. Unfortunately, she also assumes their pain and trauma, emotional and physical. Beyond mere possession, Sarai's consciousness can split in half if she wills it, with one half controlling the body and the other entering the displaced mind’s Sanctuary, allowing for direct communication within the refuge of their subconscious. However, the illusion is fragile—should the host's body suffer fatal harm, the connection shatters, and the mind in Sanctuary is left stranded in oblivion. Once the power is released, the minds return to their rightful bodies, leaving the host with no recollection of what transpired in reality while Sarai was in control, they only "awaken" with the memory of a most wonderful, perfect "dream". [b][color=2590CC]LIMITS ⫻[/color][/b] The limitations of Astral Sanctuary lie in its fragility and the toll it takes on Sarai's physical and emotional well-being. While in control of another's body, Sarai is vulnerable—her own body lies unconscious and unprotected. The connection is broken if the host body suffers fatal harm, leaving their consciousness trapped in the dreamlike Sanctuary forever, lost to oblivion. She cannot control multiple bodies at once; her connection to one person is singular. Lastly, her ability to communicate with the mind in Sanctuary is limited—she can only converse with the displaced consciousness, and cannot manipulate their actions or truly guide their thoughts while they are in that dreamlike refuge. [b][color=2590CC]WEAKNESSES ⫻[/color][/b] (DO NOT FILL THIS OUT, I WILL PROVIDE IT FOR YOU) [/INDENT] [sup][b] Other[/b][/sup] [sub][sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup][/sub] [i][color=2590CC]"I do not wish for an easy life, only one where I am free to choose my own path."[/color][/i] [indent]MISQ SECTION[/INDENT] [/color][/hider]