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 Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2012 8:49 pm
 Thalia St. Claire | Sleepy Rosebud | Sabre | Droplet
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Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2012 8:51 pm
YOUNG GIRL
Name: Thalia Rose Reyes St. Claire
Color: Sleepy Rosebud (#e76542)
Age: 15
Nationality: American (Spanish/French/Creole Heritage, though she's basically a mutt and doesn't have much of a cultural identity)
Home/Financial Status: Erratic/Lower-Middle Class
School: Broussardâs Institution of Arts
Personality: Thalia is not only dramatic, she is melodramatic. When sheâs happy, she dances and jumps for joy. When sheâs sad, she wails and moans. When sheâs angry, she screams, and when sheâs overwhelmed, she swoons. Her reactions to everything are as extreme and emotional as possible. In public, Thalia reacts the way she feels she should react, or the way she thinks it would be interesting to react. However, she'll usually still show her real feelings, just bigger, louder, and with as much drama as possible. She is always on stage, and it takes a truly shocking event to break her ever-present fourth wall. Some people view Thalia's hammy behavior as being insincere, but she usually means what she says, even if she might not have chosen that delivery method if she wasn't trying to make an impression. There's always a hint of reality in her performance, partly because she fully invests herself in everything she does, and partly because she uses her theatrics as a barrier between herself and reality, so she doesn't get overwhelmed. Since she believes that she's merely playing a part, she's able to look at things more objectively, but that amount of distance can also leave her feeling detached and confused as the line between the real world and the stage becomes less defined.
Even when sheâs alone, Thalia uses drama as a means of working out her feelings. This has two beneficial effects: not only does it allow her to channel her emotions and connect them to roles sheâs played, but itâs far less destructive than, say, hitting a pillow or a classmate. Whatever events come her way are either worked into her personal script or ignored entirely; because of her hazy perception of reality, she simply tunes out things that have the potential to bother her. As a result, sheâs not the most responsible person. While she can be trusted to do things that are important to her, she has the tendency to âforgetâ or âoverlookâ mundane necessities like homework and housework. Truthfully, sheâs more aware of whatâs really going on around her than her actions would have you believe, but she canât cope with offstage drama, so she will either incorporate it into her ongoing play of life, or dismiss it entirely.
Despite the fact that her chosen calling requires obedience to directors and adherence to a script, Thalia is bossy and headstrong. She wants to do things her way, and has difficulty operating by other peoplesâ rules. Her love of the stage and years of practice have given her a measure of discipline, so she is able to work within her desired setting, but offstage is often seen as pushy and stubborn. She has a strong dislike of people with wealth and/or power that extends to pretty much anyone with a position of authority. Teachers, classmates, strangers- anyone who tries to tell Thalia what to do will be met with resistance or outright defiance. Her respect is hard-earned, but once someone gets it, theyâve got it for good. At her most extreme, she can be forceful enough to steamroll over people and push her own ideas on them, but this usually only results from dealing with an equally ardent opponent, or when sheâs especially passionate about something. When faced with a truly formidable foe, Thalia can be downright vindictive. Sheâs quick to anger, and when not given time to cool down, will do her best to undermine or sabotage the other party, which almost always ends badly. Small slights can be forgiven if theyâre caught in time, but she can hold a grudge until the end of time, and refuses to be the first one to back down.
On the flipside, Thalia is a self-proclaimed champion of underdogs everywhere. While her first thoughts are always for her friends, she puts her stubbornness and zeal to use defending anyone she sees being oppressed, made fun of, or generally in a bad situation. Even when the odds arenât in her favor, or when sheâd suffer for her interference, she canât help but fight for what she believes in- that everyone, regardless of circumstances, is equal. She has zero tolerance for practical jokes, bullies, or anything that would harm someone for no good reason. Not all of the people that Thalia has tried to protect have approved of her meddling, and sometimes her trying to do whatâs right will only make things worse. But some of the people sheâs helped have been truly grateful, and itâs those victories that make her continue standing up for others, in the hopes that she can make solid changes in how society works, one person at a time.
Thalia has always been a people-person, and while she has some lingering trust issues stemming from an incident in her childhood, sheâs friendly and loves being around other people. The actress in her loves an audience, of course, but even when sheâs feeling low-key, she prefers being around others to being alone. Thalia is a huge romantic, and believes in her heart that everyone has a destined soulmate. She loves the concept of love, and applies it to her life whenever she can, even when itâs not terribly appropriate. Matchmaking? Sure! Making eyes at someone instead of focusing on an exam? Hey, itâs love, rules donât apply. She goes through crushes like some people go through clothes, more attracted to the idea of being in love than the people themselves. Because of this, she has something of a reputation for being fickle and a flirt, but she doesnât mind much, because these rumors are clearly circulated by cold-hearted loners who canât comprehend ~*~TRUE LOVE~*~ so why should she care what they think? Much as she loves the ideas of love and romance, Thalia also loves things that are seen as romantic. She wears lacy or frilly clothing, reads poetry, has a window box with flowers, and keeps a journal, one of the few ways she expresses her true feelings. To her, all of this falls under the general category of love, and as such, they help her reaffirm that sheâll find the person meant for her one day, and in the meantime, she doesnât feel so alone.
Appearance: Thalia dresses âromanticallyâ whenever possible. Her vision of romance involves colors such as red, white, and pink, and materials like lace, velvet, and satin. She prefers skirts to pants, but wears either (or both) as needed, and loves clothing with frills, bows, and beading. Because of her somewhat unusual tastes and her often limited budget, most of her clothing comes from thrift shops, and as such is a mixed bag that doesnât always match or mesh. She also tends to throw in costume pieces from shows her motherâs performed in, or full costumes for shows sheâs preparing in if she can get away with it. The Broussardâs blazer is a bit plain for her tastes, but itâs at least red, and she wears it when going to school- or theater-related functions. Thalia is proud of her school and her calling, and enjoys demonstrating it. Her expression varies wildly, since she tends to run the gamut of emotional output in the course of a day. When by herself, however, she tends to look more distant, almost vacant, as she retreats from the outside world and performs on the stage in her mind.
History: Calliope St. Claire and Javier Reyes met at a cast party for a community theater production of Grease. Calliope played Frenchie, Javier was a friend of the directorâs, or so he claimed, and they instantly hit it off. One night turned into two, then three, and while they were having fun, neither one expected their relationship to last. When Calliope discovered she was expecting, they decided to give a more permanent relationship a try, for the childâs sake. Neither one wanted to get married, but they moved in together, and when Thalia was born, she was given her fatherâs last name.
The arrangement seemed to work for a while. Thalia had two parents who were sometimes home with her, though much of her early life was spent backstage at theaters or sleeping in her stroller while her mother auditioned for roles. Her father wrote storybooks for her and her mother would act out some of the parts in them. But a child was a big expense, and only getting paid when one of them happened to land a part or sell a story wasnât enough when Thalia needed diapers and clothes and an endless stream of babysitters. Calliope found temp work, but Javier moaned and groaned about it, and even after he found a day job, heâd often skive off to write or hobnob at parties. The following months were filled with arguments and compromises and broken promises and bill collectors, as they tried to work things out. Just before Thalia turned four, after spending a week without electricity, Calliope and Javier had finally had enough of each other. A few lingering feelings of resentment aside, the split was done fairly amicably, and the two remained on friendly, if strained, terms. Calliope and Thalia moved into a smaller apartment, Javier visited occasionally and sent money sporadically, and they moved on with their lives. Before enrolling Thalia in school, Calliope changed her daughterâs surname to match her own, partly to stave off any confusion that might result from their having different last names, but mostly to solidify the break from Javier and confirm that the two of them were a family, and were fine on their own.
Thalia enjoyed school well enough when she started, aside from some minor hiccups stemming from her unusual family situation and upbringing. She liked her teachers and made friends fairly easily. Whenever her mother had a part, though, she couldnât wait for the day to end. Unlike the stories her father had written especially for her, these plays were full of words and situations she couldnât understand, but that didnât bother her. It was the process by which ordinary people became extraordinary that fascinated her, and she watched and mimicked the actors, who thought she was adorable. She collected autographs and scripts and props and costume pieces and created her own miniature theater in her room, so that when she was stuck with a babysitter, she could still have fun. She adopted a stray cat and made it into her dedicated audience member as she practiced. Her day-to-day life was a maelstrom of classes and confusing schedules and looming deadlines for bills, but as long as she was on stage, even if it was a fake stage, anything could happen- and better still, she always knew how the play would end. Performing the same scenes over and over gave her a sense of security, and had the added bonus of being an activity her mother was always interested in, no matter how tired or stressed she was. Even after a double shift, Calliope would still find time for a musical number after dinner, and a story or two before bed.
Near the end of elementary school, Thaliaâs friend Rachel was the victim of a mean-spirited prank. Rachelâs family, like Thaliaâs, struggled financially: Rachelâs father had been unemployed for months, and Rachel had to deal with PB&J for lunch every day, and wearing hand-me-downs that were dingy and too small for her. A couple of the students in their class decided that she was âsmelling up the class,â and to fix this problem, brought in buckets and drenched Rachel with water during recess. The perpetrators were reprimanded and forced to apologize, but Thalia felt that they were getting off too lightly. She began to follow them, planning revenge for her friend- something more than a slap on the wrist, something that showed them not to mess with someone just because they werenât rich or popular. She felt terrible for Rachel, but she also felt personally attacked, since they just as easily could have gone after her. While she was following and plotting, she overheard them talking about a test they had taken the other day, and how they had cheated on it by copying the teacherâs answer key.
It was the perfect revenge. Thalia came to the teacher, leading her to the location of the copied answer key, and the people who had hidden it. Justice came swiftly- the students responsible were suspended, their records tarnished, and the entire class was made to take a much harder retest, in case anyone else had somehow gotten the answers. Thalia was praised by the teacher for her honesty and willingness to step forward, but the rest of the class- even Rachel- felt she had gone too far, and that they were all suffering for her petty vendetta. She was ostracized for the rest of the year, by students who felt that they didnât want to talk with a girl who would report their slightest movements to the authorities. Thalia couldnât understand what she had done wrong. Sheâd told the truth, taught some bullies and cheaters a lesson, and proven to the class that people without a ton of money were still valuable. Even though her isolation had nothing to do with her financial status, and everything to do with her actions against the bullies, in Thaliaâs head she was still being attacked because she wasnât rich, and began to hate people with money and power, especially those who lorded it over others. She began to play the peasants instead of the princesses in her plays- Little Red Riding Hood was okay, but Snow White was banned from her personal stage. In her made-up stories, members of royal or noble families began to meet tragic ends, ruined by their own folly. It was the only way she could rationalize what had happened, and for the last few of months of school, she had little else to do but play by herself.
During this time, Thalia decided that she wanted to pursue acting seriously. Her mother explained how acting was an uncertain and difficult business- something Thalia already knew from experience- and then wholeheartedly supported her. She went to Broussardâs for middle school, and wanted to learn everything there was to know about theatre. But the more she learned about the technical aspects- lighting, sound, scenery- the more the stage began to feel less like an enchanted world where anything could happen, and more like an extension of the real world, complete with anxiety and pressure. Once she realized this, Thalia began to ignore all of the technical work that went into a show, to focus solely on her performance. Then she began to block out other parts of her life, like grades and chores. As long as she could immerse herself in a role, the stressful stuff would take care of itself somehow. She was a denizen of the stage, and anything other than what went on there was none of her business.
As she continued her studies, Thalia fell head-over-heels in love with love. Romantic plays quickly became her favorites- Shakespeareâs were best of all- and the only times she would relax her self-imposed rule of not playing highborn characters were when she was playing a romantic lead. It was such fun to pretend to be in mad about someone, to swoon and sigh and do crazy things for their sake. More importantly, playing up a romance meant that she felt less alone. Most of Thaliaâs classmates had gone on to Teufel Town Middle School, so her slate was clean at Broussardâs and she was able to socialize comfortably. But her months of exclusion had left their marks on her, and while she quickly became reaccustomed to talking and having fun with her classmates, a lingering fear of rejection made her wary of getting too close to them too quickly. On stage, though, she could have intimate relationships without worrying about their consequences. This only furthered her belief that the theater was superior to reality, and the two worlds continued to blend in Thaliaâs mind. Whenever possible, she tunes out the former and lives fully in the latter, feeling that itâs the only place sheâs in control of her own destiny.
Family:
Carolyn Jane Gumby Calliope St. Claire - 34 - Actress/Performing Artist/Temp
A vivacious and free-spirited woman who left home as a teenager to pursue acting. Sheâs had a reasonably successful career, with a handful of noted supporting roles on stage, and a smattering of bit parts on screen, but sheâs not particularly well-known. Her lack of stardom doesnât bother her much, since sheâs in it for the art rather than fame, and dislikes so-called artists who just use their talents to get ahead. Sheâs not the most responsible parent ever; even with part-time temp jobs, she doesnât always have enough to pay the bills, and she lets Thalia make her own decisions (and mistakes) more often than not. Calliope is Thaliaâs staunchest supporter, and Thalia is Calliopeâs biggest fan. The two argue over usual teenage things, but their shared passion helps them maintain a close relationship.
Alfredo Javier Vicente Gustavo Reyes - 37 - Screenwriter/Freelancer/Telemarketer
A self-proclaimed âmisunderstood artistâ whoâs sold a couple of scripts and one idea for a TV show. Otherwise, he writes for online magazines, does telemarketing from home, and sneaks into exclusive parties to try to network. While he claims to have brilliant ideas and no shortage of skill, his work never quite took off, and the weight of that has made him desperate and bitter. His visits to Thalia have become less frequent over the years, though he never forgets her birthday and they talk on the phone regularly. Sheâs not quite sure what to make of his posturing, and tends to feel a bit awkward talking to or about him, but deep down she loves her daddy. Just donât ask if she knows Javier Reyes, or sheâll say sheâs never heard of him.
Cleo - 7 - Cat/Audience Member
A stray that Thalia took in when she was eight, Cleo has recovered from a short life on the streets and is now one of the most pampered housecats ever. Even when the familyâs struggling with money, she always has her Fancy Feast, and is brushed at least twice a day. Sheâs often subjected to being the audience for Thaliaâs one-woman shows, which sheâs adjusted to by learning to fall asleep at the sign of one.
Lysander - 3 - Turtle/Audience Member
A birthday present from Javier, Lysander is the more attentive pet in the house, which doesnât say much considering heâs confined to a tank and therefore is stuck watching whateverâs in front of him.. Other than a fondness for basil and an utter lack of escape attempts, thereâs not much to say about him, but Thalia loves him all the same.
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Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2012 8:52 pm
PUELLA MAGI
Language: Greek (Western Theatre originated in Greece, and theatre is a Greek word; her name is also a reference to the Greek Muses) OR French (referencing her Napoleonic theme and French/Creole roots).
Desires: A happy ending. Her real life to be as interesting as her play life. To be successful. To not have to worry about mundane things (bills, school, chores, etc). To share her world with other people, so she doesnât feel alone. To not be hurt by the actions of other people. Her blood, sweat, and tears to not be shed in vain. Her life to be meaningful. To discover who she really is.
Emblem: Droplet
Weapon: Sabre
Type of Magic: Water magic! Thalia can summon a cascade of water that can deflect magic and projectiles. The water serves as the invisible, semi-permeable fourth wall that separates the performers from the audience. The fourth wall relies on both the performers and the audience to maintain it by respecting its rules, and so it's extremely easy to break through should someone want to. The waterfall won't do much to stop melee attacks, or someone just walking right through it. Since it works both ways, allies can't launch their own magic or projectiles from behind it. It's too thin to serve as a sight barrier, maybe half an inch or so thick. The water pressure is too weak to do anything offensive, though it might cause a brief distraction if she cast one on someone's head, not to mention irritation if they didn't want to be wet. These barriers only last for a few seconds at a time, so- as on stage- timing is everything!
Possible further magic abilities include creating (and clearing away) steam, to hide movements as stagehands move under the cover of darkness, and eventually being able to use her waterfalls as screens to project images. She wouldn't be able to project any people or moving objects, only scenery, as these images are basically "sets" for Thalia's performance. Maybe she could even create simple "props" out of ice, though stuff like this would be way off in the future.
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Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2012 8:53 pm
After months of obsessing and tweaking and being afraid of not doing her justice, hereâs Thalia! I would love any crit you guys are willing to throw at me. Thaliaâs personality came together before I had a wish in mind for her, and now Iâm having trouble coming up with something that works, and as a result having trouble coming up with magic for her. Iâd rather not rework her completely if I donât have to, but am tired of staring at her profile waiting for inspiration to strike, so any suggestions/crit you have to offer (especially on her Puella form, but on the whole thing really) would be greatly appreciated. <3~
Edit Log:
9/9- edited personality to address insincerity and split it more for easier reading, added magic
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 11:49 pm
Overall, I like her personality, but there's one part that confuses me. "In public, Thalia reacts the way she feels she should react, or the way she thinks it would be interesting to react." Does that mean she's insincere?
I like her family. They sound colorful, but believeable. I especially like the bits about her using her pets as an audience. I can relate to that. Does her mom have two names, because one is stage name?
As far as magic goes, maybe illusion magic or magic that lets you control things as if they were puppets? There are a lot of ideas that could work for the first one. For the second one, maybe she shoots magical strings out of her hands and if they hit the target, then she can do it, but if she misses, then she's hosed.
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 2:54 am
I think Greek as a language suits her, though French seems very flamboyant and would also work!
Personally, I like the idea of illusion magic. Or maybe like, equipment magic. Like she has a few masks or something and putting on one mask gives her physical damage boost and putting on the other gives her magical attack boost or something. I'm not sure if that would work out though. XD
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 7:22 pm
Thank you both for the crit! I really appreciate it! heart
Overall, I like her personality, but there's one part that confuses me. "In public, Thalia reacts the way she feels she should react, or the way she thinks it would be interesting to react." Does that mean she's insincere?
Wow, thanks for catching that! I hadn't considered that as an effect of her behavior. I'm having trouble coming up with a short answer, but basically, Thalia's actions are still influenced by her feelings. They're just bigger, wilder, more extreme. If her best friend was moving away, she'd swoon dramatically rather that retreat somewhere to cry in private. This is how Thalia copes with things she can't deal with directly (which at this point is most things), so her actual emotions are still involved, but there's a curtain between her and reality. So no, she's not really insincere- however, many people may see her as insincere, since her reactions often lean towards the ridiculous, and she could have to deal with the consequences of that. Does that make sense? I'll definitely add something addressing this up top!
I like her family. They sound colorful, but believeable. I especially like the bits about her using her pets as an audience. I can relate to that. Does her mom have two names, because one is stage name?
I'm glad her family came off as believable! biggrin Yes, Calliope St. Claire is a stage name (who would go to see the great actress Carolyn Gumby?) but she'd had it changed legally, so it's also her real name! Likewise, Thalia's legal last name is St. Claire, even though Reyes is on her birth certificate. She only uses Reyes when she's trying to make her name look longer.
I think Greek as a language suits her, though French seems very flamboyant and would also work!
Thanks! I'm still having a hard time deciding, but am leaning towards Greek if it'll work with her theme. If not, French will be awesome too!
As far as magic goes, maybe illusion magic or magic that lets you control things as if they were puppets? There are a lot of ideas that could work for the first one. For the second one, maybe she shoots magical strings out of her hands and if they hit the target, then she can do it, but if she misses, then she's hosed.
Personally, I like the idea of illusion magic. Or maybe like, equipment magic. Like she has a few masks or something and putting on one mask gives her physical damage boost and putting on the other gives her magical attack boost or something. I'm not sure if that would work out though. XD
I know, she seems well-suited to illusions! I'm trying to steer clear of illusion magic though, because there are multiple Puella with that as a base already, and I'm really worried about stepping on toes. I'm not sure how I feel about puppetry magic, since Thalia has no real desire to control other people- the closest she gets is wanting them to change their behavior, but I don't think that's control. The mask idea is interesting, though, and I may play with that!
Thanks again to both of you for the crit/suggestions! I hope I addressed everything you brought up!
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Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2012 5:51 pm
APPROVED!
You blew us away with yet another fantastically thought out entry, DS! I could not find a single thing wrong in this profile. We're more than ready to welcome miss Thalia into our ranks.
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Messenger of Magic Captain
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