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 Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 9:21 pm
 AMITYVILLE ACADEMY ENROLLMENT FORM Name: Winona Sombra
Nicknames: Whinn, Shadow – or hell, anything you want really, she might not hear it
Gender: Female
Age: 14ish
Faction/Race Reaper // Shadowmancer
Personality:
Run that past me again?
Winona’s got hearing problems, sometimes missing entire sentences in the worst cases. As such, it’s become almost compulsory for her to ask others to summarize what they just said if it’s longer than a paragraph’s worth of words; she’d hate to miss out on something important just because she didn’t process it the first time. In some cases, several repetitions might be needed if her mind really isn’t on the ball at the time, as part of the auditory problem is due to processing in the brain. Not wanting to hazard this all the time, Winona has learned sign language and often carries a clipboard and pen as another means of communication.
My glasses! Where are my glasses?!
More used to dim lighting, Whinn has relatively poor eyesight. She’s enlisted specifically tailored glasses that, under harsh light, darkens to avoid damage to her eyes.
Whoever said patience is a virtue is obviously lazy.
Yes, she deals with other people’s short tempers pretty calmly. But her work ethic is unyielding as it is difficult to reach. If a project forces Winona to stay up all night, so be it. She needs wants top grades or else her dad gets really mad . . .
Did I mention Daddy issues?
Yeah. Those. Winona’s dad, a reaper by the name of Servantes Sombra, is about the scariest figure in her life currently. As such, she’s used to being pushed constantly and being under the rule of an almighty male. Whinn is very, very servile, close to Igor levels if she is close to someone. Getting letters from her father can determine her mood – if Servantes is pleased with her progress, her week is sunshiney even if something goes wrong at school; if Servantes is displeased, well, moodiness and feelings of inferiority ahoy! Though negative thoughts come in anyway if she does poorly or . . . average in her grades.
Turn the light off!
Winona’s light-sensitive, being a reaper who specializes in darkness. She’ll antsy if the light is strong and will be absolutely anxious if she is missing either her glasses or the blindfold she keeps on her person at all times. The last thing she wants to do is run into walls just because a fire beast is pretending to be a sun in the halls.
Remind me what the perks of being a wallflower are?
Winona doesn’t like being in the center of attention, liking to stick to the shadows – sometimes literally. She associates attention with added stress and pressure, which just isn’t something she wants from other people at school with her dad shoving enough on her from home. That, and she doesn’t like to remind people that she’s partially deaf, or not always clear when speaking, or that she’d rather talk to non-humanoid things most of the time.
Wait, what?
Yeeeah. Winona is much more at ease when conversing with either animals or items – specifically their shadows. Whether or not they actually talk back is the question, but as a shadowmancer she “feels” each shadow has its own personality. Also, shadows are less likely to demand things of you. Except her manifested FEAR, her familiar Tenebrae but that's another story.
If you look beneath the wallflower’s soil to her roots . . .
You’d find that Winona is surprisingly capable of being playful, mostly through nonverbal games like shadow puppets and Pictionary. She can also be quite affectionate once trust is earned, though her familiar might grow jealous of her new attention for other people. All it takes is getting past the wordless/busy bee appearance to start melting her. Careful though; one betrayal means being pushed to square one. She's a sensitive one when opened up, Winona, and takes friendships f'srsly. In that sense, she can be pretty naive once she views someone as a companion and not a stranger, because the two images don't match in her mind. Unfortunately, this also means she has a tendency to overlook the flaws of others that would make them less than stellar companions - especially if they're male.
Well, what about likes and dislikes in general?
Likes silence, animals/minipets, reading for pleasure, pleasing others (not like that, you b*****d 8U), animals/minipets, finishing her work ahead of time, hand-holding to convey affection, and . . . animals/minipets. Seriously, even the most violent kind will get an “awwwww” from her. Whinn also has a hidden passion for singing, though due to her hearing problems she's . . . not star material whatsoever.
Dislikes bright lights, eye-raping neon colors, overly obnoxious noises, her weakened sight and hearing, and Wisps (specifically because they are essentially balls of light – one of her nightmares is to upset one and have it bug her with bright flashes). Although really anything with light-based powers would make her wary. She's also never overly liked bald things. 8D;
Classes Interested In
Human Studies
Creature Feature (So . . . many . . . animals <333)
Stealth
Literature
Shadow Craft
Gym/Battle Exhibition (Or else dad would kill her)
Clubs Interested In
Club B.I.T.C.H. (Again, dad wanted her in higher power clubs . . .)
Frighteningly Fashionable Freaks (Somewhat. More like offer to be a project since she doesn’t really know fashion)
Frightfully Romantic (Heeeeeee <3 Big fan of forbidden love)
Minipet Fanclub (Should one crop up; she would so start one if not)
Banned Books
Hobbies: Singing/Humming, drawing/sketching, grooming minipets, reading, writing fanfiction, running errands for friends (considered a hobby in that she often asks if she can do favors for others). And . . . sometimes attempting to write risque stories. >>;
Is Afraid Of: Open spaces and crowds (Agoraphobia)
Why are they enrolled in Amityville Academy? Servantes wants nothing but the best for his only child, and frankly he wants to beat the shyness out of her and refine Winona into a genuinely terrifying reaper. As for Whinn herself, well . . . whatever Daddy wants. Deep down she knows she needs to build self-confidence and independence from her father, and maybe being away from him physically will do that. FEAR improvement would also be nice? Specifically due to Tenebrae being less scary and more dashing after people to get affection and cuddles.
Natural Ability: Winona is capable of melting into shadows and, with time, be able to travel at a much quicker pace through them by appearing in another shady area. As a first year, however, it's not recommended for her to do much traveling/hiding since the feeling of in-substantiation is . . . unnerving. And all who travel through shadows know that getting lost in those corridors is a bad idea.
FEAR: Sciophobia (Fear of Shadows)
Winona’s familiar Tenebrae is her tool for battle, and his shadowy form allows him to transform into beast of whatever size he is able to maintain. At first year, he cannot grow larger than that of a beagle, though with time and practice Winona can give him a fiercer, battle-ready form - as in, not til second and third years. In battle Tenebrae is able to use his shadow claws to bypass skin/armor/etc. and hit with a paralyzing and numbing claw towards the center of the opponent's "fear center" - or where one's heart would/should be located. If it hits, the opponent takes damage and is also paralyzed for 1-2 rounds (depending on damage sustained).
This is assuming the attack hits. There is also a chance that, if the attack is through a bite, that Tenebrae might also accidentally bite his own tongue, paralyzing himself for the same number of rounds instead.
Emblem Ideas
Re-pondering with the introduction of the familiar.
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Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 9:22 pm
More on Winona's Familiar! Name: Tenebrae
Nicknames: Ten-Ten, Tenebie
Gender: Male
Species: Shadow Creature (formed from Winona's shadow)
Shadow creatures do not have a strict solid form and, much like ghosts, can alter it. As a first year familiar, Tenebrae cannot shift sizes with ease and prefers to stay within the limits of a large lapdog at most - getting smaller, however, is not nearly as taxing. Unless willed to, they remain insubstantial for the most part and, when not manifested, return to their owner as his regular shadow, waiting for the time they are summoned. A shadow creature's power is linked to the power of the reaper, and anything that affects the reaper also manifests in some way with the familiar. For instance, if Whinn is sick, so is Tenebrae (though most likely to a lesser degree unless the sickness affects fear; shadow creatures don't have vitals after all); the inverse also applies.
Personality: Everything Winona isn't, Tenebrae is. She is withdrawn, he's out there and looking for people to mingle with. She is quiet, he is chatty. As outgoing as a dog and just as loyal, this is a playful critter that manages to find himself in various situations just because he decided to sate his curiosity rather than preserve his life; this is probably because he knows that if he is "killed", he'll just re-manifest in Whinn's shadow again some time later - albeit exhausted for some hours afterwards, but still! This is a guy who loves to cuddle and feel physical affection with others, so though he is a shadow creature Tenebrae often goes out of his way to be tangible in order to be pet, scratched, rubbed, and such. He believes he is the key to getting his reaper to get out of her room more, even though technically his "cute act" is what landed them in the academy in the first place.
Tenebrae has a small issue with rules that impede his sense of fun, and if he can get away with bending them, he most certainly will. He means no harm honestly, but the creature gets bored easily - and with Winona disliking to dismiss him without reason, he's often left to his own devices, which stirs up restlessness. Thankfully he has a habit of releasing all his pent up energy within a short amount of time, usually with random bursts of action. Be careful not to let things be loose, as he has a habit of picking bits and bobs up to "borrow": more like stash in his growing nest in Whinn's room. He particularly curious about textures and, much like a raccoon, will stroke whatever object he picks up for the first time. Also like a raccoon, he prefers to keep his hands clean of messes.
When stressed, Tenebrae has a habit of gnawing on whatever he can get his paws on. This probably ties into Winona's nervous act of biting her nails, though since he doesn't have nails, he makes do with whatever else is around. Tenebrae never seems much afraid of anything when he's on his own, and it's only when Whinn is threatened does he begin to puff out and get aggressive - as aggressive as a guy who is not good at fighting can be. While the two seem like polar opposites at times, it is clear when under stress that the two rely on each other for support.
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Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 9:24 pm
Physical Description: As per usual, artist interpretations are welcome to add on or modify what they think fits their artwork better~!
Lanky and awkward, this chick has delicate features and a soft, round face, but a flat chest and not much curve to her hips.
Eye Colour: Paaaaaale pale pink, often with a dreamy or shy look in them; sclera is black.
Hair Colour/Style: Long, pulled back with equally long bangs. Some stray strands threaten to hit her eyes, but generally is out of the way, either falling down her back or covering most of her ears. The hair is straight but grows curlier towards the ends – the lowermost parts on her back look positively "bouncy". Those lowermost parts can also have hints of orange/blond, but hair is 90% black otherwise.
Skin Colour: Daaaaark chocolate. Yum~ A shade lighter than hair, though, and more towards warm brown. A few subtle freckles dotted here and there on her face.
Clothing Style/Colours: I’ve never been good with clothing descriptions or ideas. 8D; Neutral/dark colors would be best since she dislikes bright colors, though small designs in them would be fine. Noble-ish clothing would be a good theme as well: mayhaps a small skirt with some lace/frills underneath. Definitely something should be covering her hands, and it can extend to above her elbow if needed. The Amityville pin can be part of either her clothes (as a clasp/necklace/bracelet) or part of her headset - that doubles as her hearing aid of sorts. Blindfold of whatever design tied above hips. CC pretty much beyond that~
Extra: Her weapon is her familiar, currently a creature about the size of a beagle made of shadowy/dark/inky substance; purdy much CUTENESS value for image purposes. Eyes are white and outlines are in purple. Hope to design and name soon when college stops being a b***h!
I was also thinking a choker with a moon charm would be cool to add - something about her neck for sure.
References:
Chibi
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Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2010 6:14 pm
Honestly, I... uh. Couldn't find much to crit. |D;
First and foremost, I'm not sure it's a great idea to use terms for stereotypes when describing her. She is far beyond an anime cliche, and rather than link to "types", why not describe what she feels? That really turned me off, for sure.
Physically, I'm confused as to how her shadow hands can say they speak for her? Can other people hear them, or is that something they say to her specifically? Do they really, or are they self-absorbed hands? I don't think there's anything wrong with either option, I'm just curious and think maybe there could be some more explanation. :3
Finally, is it that she's sensitive to bright light or she really can't see? Or is it a combination, and she's not able to see in bright light? If it's the first or the third I am SO EXCITED because biologically speaking black scleras would absorb WAY too much light and probably blind her when it was bright. I don't know if this was intended or not? I know even I ignore it in character design but you win SO MANY POINTS.
Crit being said, I love that she has problems with her senses to make up for her power and her sweetness. It's a nice balance and will SUCK for her and be awesome for plotting. Also, I adore that she loves animals. It's just so cute and charming!!
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Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 12:10 pm
Thanks for taking the time! <3
I admit upon writing the part with the links to TV Tropes was mostly me having been sucked into that blackhole of a place, and I figured they might help with being better examples than me just blurting out what I thought at 1AM in the morning. But I get what you're saying, and I'll hop right on typing it out rather than relying on something else.
The shadow hands portion is also a by-product of sleep-deprivation and indecision. I'm not quite sure whether I should allow the hands to physically speak (such as making the hand motions and fingers form a mouth), or if they're over-characterized in their actions to the point that though they can't speak, their actions speak for themselves. Hum . . . I'll think on it some more.
Aaand Whinn's over-sensitive to bright light rather than actually blind, but that black sclera thing was totally by accident. 8D; Although when I think about it, that actually makes sense! YAY POINTS.
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Posted: Sat Dec 04, 2010 12:17 am
Winona's problems with her hearing/eyesight make sense considering she's a creature of the shadows, lurking in the dark and more used to using other senses than the conventional ones. As such, I think her ability to 'feel' and communicate with other shadows is a neat touch.
It's a little unclear what Winona's relationship to her shadow hands are though. Just curious since you said that they are 'chattier' than Winona is. Are they an extension of her (like maybe her inner self saying things she's scared to say out loud?) or like an overly opinionated familiar of some sort?
I also agree with the above poster that you might want to better explain what you mean by 'dandere' and 'kuudere' rather than just linking the terms.
Winona's fear ability sounds really versatile. I also think her 'daddy issues' sound like an interesting thing to explore. Overall I can't think of that much else to crit. Your profile is pretty good and Winona seems like an interesting character. 3nodding
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Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2010 11:39 am
That's actually an interesting idea, the hands being an extension of her inner personality she hides . . . huh! 8D I might incorporate that.
Also edited out the links and described some more as promised. Thanks for the crit!
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Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2011 10:04 pm
Bumping her up with several added pics and slightly updated info~
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Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 5:32 pm
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Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 9:56 am
Seems Shia is determined to help me get her, so I might expect more art soon!
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Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 10:29 am
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Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2011 11:15 am
Artses from nice peoples!
From Cypran, we get a Whinn doodle!
From Shia, we get a possibility on her weapon!
I still need to decide on whether to go with the hands as a familiar or the book as a weapon . . . Gaaaaah, this is hard!
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 10:02 pm
Figured out that Winona gets a familiar! time to name him and figure out a specific design . . . when I get the chance. @@
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 12:26 am
I. Love. This. Character.
I came here looking to do crits and I found a concept I'm just completely in love with, urgh. SHADOWS...are like, my all-time love.
Okay, so here's the tiny thing I noted.
Maybe some more dislikes regarding things other then light / sound sensitivity? I might be a little in love with the idea of making her photosensitive due to her species, but surely there's some other things she hates? XD
And that's about it. LOL.
Other then that, when you said "beagle sized" for her familiar, I immediately thought "cute little shadow puppy".
Considering it's little because of her power level maybe it's not properly formed at that size? Just a general quadrupedal creature, maybe with a droopy tail-like growth, stubby little blobby arms and legs, and a featureless bulb for a head? XD Maybe some animal ears considering her love for minipets, and a gash-like shape in the general mouth region, but it really depends what overall concept you pick for it's "final", big, fully formed version?
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Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 9:32 pm
<3 This character is so cute. I love her concept. I'm having a hard time finding anything that needs improvement. o3o. Her shadow hands; I have to know. The way they 'communicate' her emotions. Would it be something like, If she were angry they would assume the position of fists? I can just see in my mind one of them flipping someone off over jealousy. xD Also for dislikes. Maybe something a bit more than sounds and lights? Perhaps the possibility of failing because she wants to impress and please her father, she has a fear of failing. I know my quest character, Avalon, fears abandonment.
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