Welcome to Gaia! ::

Name: Leia Willis

Nickname: Lee, Princess Leia

Age: 16

Birthday: April 30

Sign: Taurus

Gemstone: Diamond

Blood Type: A-

Fav. Food: Classy lunch foods, like fancy soups, cute little sandwiches, and fresh salads. She's also a big fan of cupcakes and hot tea.

Hated Food: The flavorless rubber also known as American cheese.

School: Meadowview High School

Hobbies:

Journaling- Leia's favorite part of journaling is the journals themselves. Standard issue spiral notebooks need not apply. Her favorite one has a cloth cover in a pastel paisley pattern, a leather strap to keep it from coming open, and a cute silver lock and key. Others can be found scattered throughout her room, however, with the ones she's filled in a neat stack in her closet, and she would have even more if she could. The ones not used for schoolwork are filled with practical notes about her day, doodles, and the occasional emotional diary entry or poem.

Photography- Leia enjoys taking pictures. It's only for fun, so the best camera she has is the one on her smartphone, but she has a decent eye for it. Her subject matter of choice is nature, whether it's majestic mountain landscapes or a just wildflowers she found while walking through the park, but she only goes seeking that kind of thing out on special occasions. Most of the time, this is something she does when she's bored, so what she ends up with the most pictures of are her classmates, her cat Oreo, and herself making silly faces.

Hiking- Leia's a nature lover who needs mountains and trees and things that are allowed to grow wild. Unfortunately, those things are not within walking distance of her home. The easiest way for her to get transportation to the mountains was to join the hiking club, so now she spends about a Saturday a month, during the nicer months, at least, walking through forests in search of overlooks, waterfalls, and a bit of fresh air. Since getting her license, she's started hiking a little on her own, which is better for clearing her mind and taking lots of pictures, but she likes the club as well, because she's gotten to know the people in it.


Virtues:

Observant- Leia has an eye for details. She goes through life with her eyes open, and so she notices the interesting things others overlook, like always appreciating those whispered sarcastic comments that aren't meant to be widely heard. She's great at jobs that require attention to small details, from photography to arranging outfits to making sure that there aren't any comma splices in her research essays. It also makes her reasonably good at reading people, especially people she knows. She's not a human lie detector by any means, but she can usually take hints about when someone's had a bad day and needs a hug or some space or whatever they prefer.

Loyal- If you can win Leia's trust, which takes a bit of time but isn't necessarily difficult, you've earned a loyal friend who will be there for you through both the good times and the bad. She always tries to make time for her friends, does little things to make their day brighter, and definitely isn't the type to abandon someone just because they're going through a rough patch, or she's going through a rough patch, or other people disapprove of the friendship, or any petty reasons like that. It would take a major betrayal to separate her and someone she cared about, and even then she might be willing to give them a second chance.

Careful- Leia doesn't like spending more energy than necessary, so in her opinion, things worth saying or doing are worth not messing up. That's not to say that she never makes mistakes, but she is the type of person who will set timers while she's cooking so she doesn't burn the food, obey all the traffic laws, always be wary of her surroundings, and double check everything, from the answers on tests she really needs to pass to whether or not the toaster is unplugged. She's careful with her words, too. She makes a conscious effort to think before she speaks and isn't one to chatter about things that are meaningless or boring.

Flaws:

Lazy- Leia really hates doing things sometimes. She's not a particularly high energy person, and the energy she does have goes into things she enjoys, like spending time with her friends or exploring a mountain. She avoids schoolwork, chores, and anything unpleasant as much as possible, mostly by procrastination that often turns into her just not doing them at all. Nobody really believes her anymore when she says she'll do things eventually, and while her parents and teachers cracking down have kept her from completely failing all of her classes, they're not always around. This isn't a trait Leia's proud of, and she's been trying to change it, but no matter how many day planners she writes responsible schedules in, or notes she leaves on the computer telling herself to do her homework, half the times she'll just leave them unread and spend her evenings writing or on the internet.

Clingy- Once Leia likes someone, they are her best friend forever, and she'll always be trying to spend time with them and make them happy. Always. It can get annoying, especially at first, as there isn't much middle ground between acquaintance and close friend for her. Obviously, she can't force people to spend time with her. She'll leave someone alone if they tell her to, or if they get visibly upset, but it hurts her feelings a bit more than it should, and she usually ends up thinking it's because she did something wrong, which only makes it worse when she shows up later to apologize.

Insecure- Leia's brother just got a full ride scholarship to medical school. Her cousin is well on her way to becoming a professional actress, at least as far as family gossip is concerned, and meanwhile Leia is taking the base level classes at a run down high school, getting constant lectures about how she's smart, but if she doesn't apply herself she might not even be able to get into college. This isn't a new situation, either. She's been the failure of the family since she was pretty young, and it's taken its toll. Her self confidence is practically non existent. She doesn't feel like she's a successful person, or even a good person, and even though she tries her best, there are always people around her who are doing even better. This means she never takes compliments seriously. She just assumes whoever is complimenting her feels sorry for her, or is trying to be nice. While she only sees the worst in herself, she tends to see the best in other people. The negative aspect of this is that she assumes others are 'better than her' unless somehow proven otherwise.


PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION


Eyes: Rather large, and a bit on the round side, with noticeably long lashes. They're an emerald green.
Hair: Shoulder length with long bangs. It's mint green and a bit wispy. Leia's always trying new styles. [style for art]
Face: Heart shaped, with a button nose and chubby cheeks. Her skin is extremely pale and her cheeks are rosy enough that it's "redness", not a cute blush.
Clothes: Mori girl inspired, so lots of loose dresses, cardigans, layers, boots, hats, and faded flower prints.

Ok, finished with her sphere and everything now... ready for some serious crit! On everything!

Just a quick thing I noticed: For her Starter attack, you have that the enemy will fall asleep if the vines remain attached for a full minute. I'm not sure this will be allowed, or if it's too powerful starting out. If the enemy is asleep, then the senshi can pretty much kill them if they so choose. Same with rendering them unconscious in the second attack.

I would stray away from that particular part, and keep with the entrapment, minor energy sapping effect that leaves them tired.

Hey there, Stari! Sorry, it’s kinda long. <3

I find it kind of ironic that Leia’s a Senshi of Ivy, yet she hates greens? I realize it’s just a small part of her personality, but doesn’t that kind of contradict itself? I’m newish to the shop, so I might be completely wrong on this, but I always imagined that a Senshi would reflect their sphere in their personality and tastes. Just something to think about, but don’t count on me to be an expert at this.

Hobbies
Gaming — Who exactly introduced her to games and how was she raised on them? I understand that she might have grown up in a household that has a lot of gaming, but that seems to be a difference than being “raised” on games. I feel like that would imply her being set in front of a game system instead of being sent outside. That might be the case, of course! I just feel that being “raised on food and games” sounds maybe a little extreme? Or rather, it sounds extreme when paired with what else you have. I feel you might want to go into more detail in explaining just how she was raised on games, or if she just enjoys games as she’s older, as a hobby.

Gardening — How exactly did she pick up this hobby? I’m pretty sure that gardening takes a bit more experience than to just start it, especially when trying to grow flowers. I’m only saying this because I speak from experience. My mom gardens all the time (when we don’t have problems with groundhogs eating everything) and I’ve been trying my hand at growing an African Violet for the past couple years. Now my plant has two others to join it, but I swear I almost killed her once… And African Violets are, like, the easiest house plants to grow. My poor plant… Anyway, I feel like she might be getting in over her head in this? Gardens take timing and good weather and preparation — A lot for a young girl to do by herself. I’m not saying it’s not impossible! It just sounds like you’ve got more of a fairy tale setting for her hobby instead of something realistic.

I DO like that she gardens, though!! This is what I think of when I think of “Senshi of Ivy”. I just think you should develop this into something that a high school girl can do. Maybe research gardening some more? Come up with plants that she grows and list them out, and then find out what those plants require to grow and take care of them. If she’s interested in birds coming to her garden, I’d suggest her placing out bird feed, otherwise I don’t think birds would be interested in plants… unless they’re there to eat the butterflies, which could definitely be counter-productive!! Cats and dogs would also be more attracted to placing cat/dog food outside, rather than plants. Unless, again, they’re there to eat the rabbits and squirrels that eat the plants.

Hiking — How does she get to places to hike? Does she drive? I go to a university right by the Blue Ridge Parkway and my friends and I still have to drive a good distance to get to anywhere hike-able. Also, it’s very dangerous to go alone! Does she go with anyone else? She should know that, if she researches about hiking. And what kind of hiking does she like to do? Hiking up a mountain trail? Or does she do things like bouldering (my personal favorite hiking activity), which is climbing up giant boulders, rather than along a path. Of course, it’s usually a known place where lots of people go, but bouldering definitely isn’t for younger children (though we brought my friend’s eight-year-old brother with us, once… that was interesting).

What about nature does she like? The smell? The openness? The sounds? The feel of moss under her bare feet? I would love to see more about what has drawn her to nature!

Virtues
Helpful — Check grammar and spelling here, there are a few typos. I would like to hear more about how she’s helpful. It seems like you’re just implying what she does, rather than explaining her as a person. Knowing how to lessen depression caught my attention, because sometimes there really isn’t something anyone can do to help someone who’s depressed, because it’s a chemical imbalance, rather than just being upset about something. It might even have to do with the weather — something she can’t change. Is she too helpful? Does she annoy people with how much she “helps” and instead of helping is she actually “hindering”? Something to think about. How far does she push it? Sometimes people just… don’t want to be helped. (I see now that you’ve put some of this into her flaws, but is it possible for her to have more virtues/flaws that aren’t exactly opposite? Sometimes it’s possible to include virtues and flaws in the same thing.)

Energetic — You might want to think of this virtue more realistically, too. Sure, she might be energetic, but there is only so much a human body can take, there is only so many hours during a day, and there’s only so much she can do before a person breaks under pressure. She sounds a little too perfect with this virtue, is more what I’m trying to say. It’s great that she can keep up a high tempo, but because of that her own health might suffer.

Sees the glass half full — I feel like this could be doubled as a flaw. I realize that she’s optimistic, but if she’s too optimistic, she’s unrealistic and can cause people a lot of grief, herself included. Yes, a hurricane can be beautiful to see, but not when living through one. Not when your home and everything you’ve ever known has been completely destroyed. And seeing a bully’s soft spot might gloss over the fact that they’ve had a really tough life. She might be seeing the “better part of the bad” to the point where it’s, well, pointless, because she’s already past trying to understand. If you’re going to keep this as a virtue, I think you should change how you’ve described her. As you have it now, she’s just setting herself up for her own downfall.

Flaws
Overly helpful — Typo: “Foul weather friend”. I think you mean she’s being used by foul weather friends, rather than being one. Definition? You should go into this in more detail, explaining her situations.

Obsessive/Insecure — Explain why she’s like this, more. I feel like this came out of nowhere! And this isn’t obsessive, it’s paranoia. Research that a little and try and come up with more of why she’s like this.

Head in the clouds — It sounds more like she’s fickle than having her head in the clouds.

Notes
This is going back to what I was saying at the beginning, about how I feel like a Soilder should reflect what they are Senshi of. Try listing out things that remind you of ivy and research more about it. What kind of ivy are you planning on, anyway? Regular, vine ivy, or poison ivy? Or both? You could use poison in your attacks, maybe… Or “RASH” attack? (omg! So itchy! lolwut?) You mention in her history that she’s socially awkward, or at least lacks social skills. I think this has a lot of potential! You should really think about developing this. Also keep in mind that if someone has been paralyzed for a long time, they aren’t going to be able to go right back to their normal lives. There’s a lot of physical therapy her mother will have to go through, maybe even years of it in order to rebuild her muscles. (I’m especially thinking of the movie The Secret Garden with Maggie Smith in it, if you know what I’m talking about. If not it’s a fabulous older movie! Not too old, but still… 90s…)

You’ve got a good layout going, now it’s time to really sit down and sculpt out your character! Make her the true Senshi of Ivy! Rock on! Er… Leaf on! *shot*

Still looking for crit!!