◈ P e r s o n a l i t y
Curious ◈ Adventurous ◈ Mischievous ◈ Determined ◈ Defiant
Having been shielded from the world for a long time has given Sylvia a strong drive to explore it. She doesn't like to be cooped up in one place for too long, and is happiest when she's discovering new things and places. This can be a strength as it means she enjoys learning, but it can just as easily be a weakness when she gets in over her head, or winds up in detention from venturing into places that are off-limits.
Not that the latter stops her, it just makes her redouble her efforts to not get caught, say, wandering the grounds after hours. Her protective upbringing means she's good at sneaking around. She's the kind of person who very much prefers to take her chances flying out of windows rather than using the main entrance. "It's flight practice!" she'll claim if a teacher or Illuminaire sees her, while (unsuccessfully) attempting to 'cute' her way out of trouble by giving herself Cait ears and eyes, and putting on her best innocent look.
Her mischief don't end here. She likes to play harmless pranks, especially on uptight and humourless people. For all her silly tendencies, though, she's actually much more hardworking than people imagine her to be. As a late bloomer, she pushes herself non-stop to improve with her gift. The reason why she usually has at least one Cait trait at any given time isn't just to sneak about and play jokes - she's getting in as much training as she possibly can.
Outwardly, she pretends to brush off failure and setbacks, but they get to her more than she shows. She hates appearing weak, or doing anything that might get her pitied or mocked. If someone talks down to her, she'll go out of her way to prove them wrong, even if it means she becomes unhealthily concerned with their view of her, and it ultimately does more harm than good.
◈ H i s t o r y
For much of her life, Sylvia grew up underestimated and overprotected. Her family is mostly one of powerful Mystics, people who went on to become warriors, bodyguards, explorers. Her older sister Elira, a powerful air elementalist, graduated from Harold's and pursued her calling as an airship pilot. Yet no such path seemed to be set out for Sylvia, who appeared to possess no magical gift.
Her seventeenth birthday came and went, and still she hadn't awakened as a Mystic. Her mother, a descendant of a warrior who'd fought during the Time of Tears, knew just how dangerous the world could be, especially for someone she saw as defenseless. Even if non-Mystics weren't direct targets of Seraph-Ni, they could still get caught up in such incidents, and of course there were daemons to worry about. So, she overprotected Sylvia, limiting how long she could stay out of her sight. Treated like a child, Sylvia barely got a chance to leave the house. She'd resort to sneaking out, but still didn't get to hang out with her peers anywhere near as much as she wanted.
This made her a target for bullies, something she tried to keep secret from her parents, knowing they'd freak out. One day, however, a classmate's picking on her became too much. The boy shoved and elbowed her in the hallway, taunting her that he bet she couldn't even fight back. She turned round and slapped him. She knew she'd get in trouble, but didn't care. What she didn't expect was to leave a row of cuts on his cheek. Horrified, she stared at her hand and saw her fingernails had turned into sharp, curved claws.
The school nurse was able to easily heal him, but it took a lot of convincing on Sylvia's part to prove that it was an accident, and her parents had to intervene to keep her out of legal trouble. For the longest time, she'd fantasised about becoming a Mystic and making her family proud, but hadn't thought it would be like this. As it turned out, her parents were anything but proud, because of the embarrassing way it had happened. As was mandatory, she was sent straight to Harold's Academy for the Magically Inclined, where she trains to get a handle on her gift and become the Mystic her family wants her to be.
◈ R e p u t a t i o n
Sylvia has a reputation as a bit of a goof, and a troublemaker. Not in a cruel way, more of a "what kinds of shenanigans has she gotten into now?" way. This means the more rebellious students are drawn to her, and she butts heads with those who follow rules to the letter. Even her friends tend to be on high alert for pranks when around her.
Due to her lack of experience with or control of her magic, some see her as weak and naive, hence an easy target. If they bully her, though, she will get back at them in some suitably embarrassing way, living by the saying "revenge is a dish that is best served cold". Even if it ends up escalating the situation.
She'll do the same if she sees someone else getting bullied, having protective tendencies of her own, although not to the point of being stifling. Shy people who have trouble standing up for themselves tend to gravitate towards her for this reason.
◈ G o a l s
Sylvia isn't entirely sure yet, because she's been held back by family for so long. Something that involves exploring the world - and possibly other worlds - would suit her. As for non-career goals, her main one is to perfect her Feline Form ability, and prove to her parents that she isn't a weakling.
◈ R e l a t i o n s
Elira Copeland, older sister. Despite Sylvia having grown up in her shadow, their relationship is actually pretty ok - Elira has confided that being the golden child isn't all it's cracked up to be, because of the weight of everyone's expectations.
Altair Copeland, father. Strict and militaristic, his standards are nigh-impossible to meet.
Meredith Copeland, mother. Well-meaning but overprotective, as her own mother told her plenty of horror stories of the Time of Tears and the many losses suffered.
◈ "Mrrooooowwwwrrrrr!" ◈
◈ M y s t i c C l a s s i f i c a t i o n
Somatic
◈ G i f t
Feline Form
◈ M y s t i c C o d e
Sylvia can take on physical traits of felines. For example, she can turn her fingernails and toenails into claws, grow Cait ears for sharper hearing, sprout a tail for balance, or transform her eyes into slit-pupilled reflective ones to gain night vision. Limbs grow a coat of dark brown fur while shifted, as well as becoming a little stronger and more flexible.
With practice and experience, eventually she'll be able to shapeshift her entire body into a large wildcat form. This form is roughly the size of a cougar, but the ears are more like those of a house Cait, and her eyes remain blue.
◈ L i m i t a t i o n s a n d W e a k n e s s e s
It takes between 1-3 seconds to shift, depending on the body part. If she's injured and/or exhausted, it takes even longer. Growing claws normally only takes a second, but shifting an entire arm takes longer, and during that time, movement of the limb is impeded. When she transforms her eyes, her vision briefly blurs, and when she transforms her ears, sounds become dull and garbled for a moment.
Enhanced senses, while useful, can work against her. Loud noises can be incapacitating while she's using her Cait ears, and since a feline's paws are even more sensitive than human hands and feet, damage to a shapeshifted finger or toe is excruciating.
At her current skill level, she has trouble keeping several body parts shapeshifted at once. If, say, she tries to transform her arms, legs and eyes, she might end up accidentally retaining one of her human limbs. Also, the more parts she shifts, the more of a strain on her vitesse it is.
She doesn't yet have full control over her ability. Sometimes, when she's angry or scared, her claws will spontaneously appear, or her eyes will turn slit-pupilled.
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