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 Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 9:56 pm
 Lalita Singh | Dark Green | Umbrella | Leaf
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Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 9:59 pm
YOUNG GIRL
Name: Lalita Rashmi Singh (last name tentative)
Color: Dark Green (#006400)
Age: 13
Nationality: American (Indian/South African background)
Home/Financial Status: Stable/Middle-Class
School: Teufel Town Middle School
Personality: In a word, focused. Lalita is the type of person to shut out everything and everyone that isn’t important to her in order to achieve her goals- even when “everything” includes things like food and “everyone” includes her family. These days, her goals all trend towards the theme of self-improvement, so Lalita is very inwardly focused and doesn’t spare much attention for other people. This can cause her to be perceived as self-centered and vain, and her behavior can even be rude when she’s not paying due attention to those around her. When this is brought to her attention, she’s generally appalled by her actions and is quick to ask for forgiveness. Her fast and frequent attitude changes can be seen as inauthentic, but those who give her a chance to make amends find her earnest and eager to please for the brief period of time she can think outside of herself.
Behind the curtain Lalita is anything but vain; she’s extremely sensitive, hurt by anything that can be perceived as an insult, but by far she is her own worst critic. Nothing she does is good enough for her, regardless of how others judge her, but a harsh word from an outside source cuts deeper than any of her own severe judgments. It’s bad enough she knows how much of a failure she is without everyone else seeing it too. Lalita is also prone to fits of jealousy, though these usually center on someone’s talent or ability rather than any physical item. Even at her worst she won’t sabotage a rival- she wants to be the succeed by her own merit- but she does vent her frustrations through equally unproductive passive-aggressive acts, not out of a desire to unsettle her opponent, but out of a need to do something with her feelings of inferiority and avarice.
In the rare moments when she’s not obsessing over some perceived flaw, Lalita is reserved, quiet, and even-tempered. While she is emotional and prone to mood swings, she tries to be analytical in her choices and debates carefully before making any decisions, partly because she is so emotional. She doesn’t easily make friends, as even when she takes a moment to look outside of herself, she’s overly cautious and has a tendency to visualize the worst-case scenario. She prefers sticking with what she knows to trying anything new and potentially ending up in a bad situation, keeping herself in a prison of her own making. Every so often she’ll go and rattle the bars, but in the end she’s too scared of ending up in a worse situation to make any sort of meaningful change in her life. Even her constant attempts at self-improvement aren’t based on knocking others off their pedestals, or a desire for the spotlight, but instead stem from sheer desperation. Lalita’s sense of self-worth is attached solely to her abilities (or lack thereof), and all she can do to try and reclaim her former happiness is to try the same things again and again and hope that eventually, something will change.
In situations where she's forced to be social (group projects, the rare party, etc.) Lalita's instinct is to withdraw. She doesn't dislike the company of others, but she's not good at handling uncomfortable situations and would rather flee than fight. Sometimes, however, a particularly patient or outgoing person might be able to pierce her thick shell. Around these people, she's somewhat less guarded; though she still strongly prefers keeping the focus on others to avoid attention for her failings, she might share an opinion or a joke. She's supportive of people who are supportive of her, but resists taking more help than an occasional word of encouragement, since she strongly wants to become better on her own. While she's able to handle this sort of attention when it's given to her, Lalita does not think about other people when they're not directly in front of her, so any relationships with her are usually unequal in energy and emotional investment. This makes her feel guilty and inept, which is another reason she avoids getting too close to people, and creates another vicious cycle that only deepens as time goes by.
Appearance: Lalita has a small frame, well-built for ballet and gymnastics. She’s short, but rarely mistaken for someone younger. This is partly due to the onset of puberty, but stems more from the way she carries herself. Even when she isn’t paying attention to what she’s doing, her movements and speech seem carefully controlled. Her clothing adds to this illusion; each outfit is chosen with the goal of making her seem polished and mature. Shirts and blouses always have collars, pants and skirts are tailored. Whenever possible she wears shoes with small heels or platforms, though this is out of the simpler desire to look taller. Her green hair is a couple of inches shy of shoulder-length; it’s just barely long enough to pull into a ponytail, but she usually prefers keeping it out of her face with a headband or ribbon.
History: Rajesh Singh and Amrita Sarabhai met in Mumbai. Rajesh was there on business, Amrita to visit family, but they stayed at the same hotel and crossed paths often enough that they chatted a few times. When they met again a few weeks later in Teufel Town, Rajesh again traveling on business, Amrita in her hometown, they knew it wasn’t coincidence. After several months of business trips and long-distance phone calls, Rajesh moved from his native Durban to Teufel Town, found a job that would allow him to stay close to home, and bought a house in Lynn District big enough for the two of them to start a family. The process wasn’t easy, and Rajesh was unsettled from all of the upheavals in his life, but when he found out he was going to be a father, he knew it was all worth it.
When Lalita was born, the family was still quite happy. Rajesh was home for dinner every night and read Lalita and her big sister Mohana bedtime stories, and Amrita was constantly finding new things for them to do and places for them to go. As soon as she was old enough, Mohana was enrolled in dance classes, then piano lessons, then soccer. Lalita was too young to take part, but loved watching her sister do all of these interesting things. Mohana, however, didn’t care for any of these activities and kept whining for new things to do, so the list of extracurriculars was long and constantly shifting by the time Lalita was old enough to join in. In contrast to Mohana, who seemed to dislike everything and made no effort to improve herself, the activities came easily to Lalita, who enjoyed herself a great deal. By the time the family welcomed their third daughter, Kamala, Lalita was at the top of her class in school, and the star pupil in her after-school activities. Whenever someone was struggling, they went to her, and she relished the feeling of being asked for help or advice. Even though she had no real passion for piano, or gymnastics, or any of her other activities, Lalita loved being good at them, and she felt truly happy with her life.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly, but Rajesh was frustrated with the restrictions of his job and longed for the freedom his old line of work allowed him. When Kamala was still small, and after many long conversations (some of which escalated into shouting matches) with Amrita, Rajesh found a new job that kept him away from home for most of the work week. Lalita was confused by her father’s sudden absence and focused on her work more, determined to keep his focus when he was at home. Around that time, Lalita’s piano teacher suggested that she apply for Rosaline Academy. The chances of her being accepted were low, since hundreds of talented students auditioned for a couple of spots every year, but he could see that Lalita had talent that would benefit from that environment. Lalita knew this was her chance, and spent all of her time preparing for her audition. When the day arrived, she performed the best she ever had, certain that she would get in, and that her father would be proud of her and come home more often.
When the rejection letter arrived, Lalita was devastated. Not because she had a burning desire to go to Rosaline, but because she had failed. Her mother and sisters consoled her, reminding her that it was a long shot to begin with, but all Lalita could see was her failure. She lost her interest in piano, but Amrita encouraged her to keep at it, and her father promised to be home for her next recital. When Lalita went up to play her piece, though, all she could think about was how badly she had done the last time. She froze, unable to do more than tremble and poke at the keys blindly before she rushed off the stage.
From that point, Lalita’s anxiety began to affect her performance in other areas. When she was up for a spot on the gymnastics team, she fell off the beam. When she was at a swim meet, she didn’t even hear the starting whistle. Her teachers and coaches shook their heads sadly, marveling at how such a gifted student could be crippled by stage fright. But Lalita kept trying, not just because her mother encouraged her to, but because she knew she could do what they were asking of her, and needed other people to know it too.
Then something worse happened. Lalita’s talent, so plentiful when she was a novice, started to dry up. Things that had once come so easily to her became harder and harder to achieve. Her teachers lost interest in her, her extended family clucked and sighed and made inane suggestions, and her father worked more hours away from home. Frantic, Lalita dove into her work at the exclusion of everything else. She stopped going for manicures with her mother, reading magazines with her sisters, and helping friends and classmates with their problems. All of her time was spent trying to recapture her ability, but the more she tried, the worse her results, and the less she was able to keep up. Her grades have slipped; even taking a test or writing a report triggers her performance anxiety, since she knows people will be looking at what she produces and judging her on it. She keeps up with her extracurriculars through sheer force of will, desperate to improve herself and become good again, but she’s among the worst students in all of them. Lalita is convinced that there’s some way for her to get past these stumbling blocks, and spends all of her time searching for it, but so far, has come up empty.
Family:
Rajesh Singh - Father - 45 - Software Trainer/Technician
The less stern of Lalita’s parents, partly due to the fact that he’s also the least present. Rajesh trains people to use the software his company makes, and spends anywhere from half to all of his work week travelling. He’s very into his job and somewhat addicted to the travel opportunities it provides for him; while he tried to have a more local job when Mohana and Lalita were younger, he was miserable and eventually went back to training. He loves his family and tells himself that he’s doing this for them, but can be awkward and distant from them even when he’s home. He leaves most of the day-to-day decisionmaking to Amrita, feeling that she’s more well-informed on what goes on at home, but on the rare occasions he disagrees strongly with his wife, he puts his foot down and insists on getting his way (his working mostly away from home was one of these situations).
Amrita Sarabhai - Mother - 39 - Graphic Designer(?)
The homemaker and disciplinarian. Amrita works from home when possible, to counteract her husband’s frequent absences, and is super-involved in her daughters’ lives. She goes to PTA meetings, athletic meets, music recitals, you name it, she’s there. From the time they were little Amrita has enrolled her children into as many activities as she could, hoping to give them an abundance of experiences that would help them later in life. She’s a strict taskmaster and pushes her kids further than they’d like, but doesn’t have any expectations of them other than that they try their best. Though she can be seen as a slave driver, she genuinely wants what’s best for her children and is quite reasonable when spoken to directly, open to new ideas, and ready to help in whatever way she can.
Mohana Priti Singh - Sister - 15 - Teufel Town High School
Mohana (known to her friends as Mo-Mo) and Lalita have a rather tumultuous relationship. When they were younger, Mohana became used to Lalita getting all the attention, and while at first she resented it, she’s come to enjoy the freedom it gives her. Mohana doesn’t worry too much about her grades or extracurriculars, and what’s important to her is having fun with her friends. When Lalita began to struggle, she refused to take on the responsibility of being the “successful one,” and even suggested that Lalita pass the buck to their younger sister, which didn’t go over too well. The sisters clearly care for each other, but have very different priorities and values, so their attempts to help each other don’t usually go very smoothly.
Kamala Anjali Singh - Sister - 7 - Teufel Town Elementary School
Kamala is cute, vivacious, and- to Lalita’s horror- ambitious. She’s already declared that she wants to be president when she grows up, as well as being an astronaut, a fashion model, and an actress. So far, she hasn’t done anything to make these dreams come true other than beg her parents to send her to space camp when she’s older and raid her sisters’ closets to do a fashion show. She’s clever and creative, but not overly competitive, and Lalita’s perception of her as a rival is 100% unfounded- Kamala adores both of her sisters and wants to be like both of them when she’s in high school. Being popular AND gifted is totally the best way to go, and she doesn’t see why she should have to settle for just one when she’s going to be president astronaut model actress someday.
Lalita also has a large extended family, in Teufel Town as well as abroad (mainly based in Durban and Mumbai), the members of which have varying amounts of influence over the Singhs and their lives.
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Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 10:03 pm
PUELLA MAGI
Language: Sanskrit
Desires: The ability to overcome obstacles. To fulfill the expectations of others and of herself. To become a better person. To be good at something she truly enjoys. A sense of identity that she likes. For her ability to resume its former growth.
Her desires are paradoxical: she wants to recapture her past glory as someone to whom things come easily, but to do that she needs to grow as a person; she simultaneously wants static and change. Likewise, she simultaneously wishes for ascension (overcoming obstacles, rising to challenges, etc.) and evolution (growth/change/blossoming). The latter two are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Her wish may also take on a performatory aspect (in her desire to perform despite anxiety, to her standards, both on stage and in her personal life) which may affect her wish as well.
Emblem: Leaf ❦ (for the purposes of unicode fun, an Aldus Leaf)
Weapon: Umbrella ☂
Type of Magic: Tied to her theme of ascension and growth, Lalita is able to jump to great heights. As she moves, leaves spring up under her feet- these can be used as jumping platforms by herself and other magical girls, though lingering for more than a moment would make the leaf lose its placement and plummet. When she's very high up, her umbrella allows her to descend at a safe speed (open to suggestion, but I like this idea, at least as a starting point). Future ideas include a regen/mana regen effect (pulling from photosynthesis and the growth aspect again) and eventually being able to use her platform leaves as projectile weapons (a la Razor Leaf).
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Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 10:03 pm
I may tweak one or two things, but for the moment this is open for crit! heart
darkgreen seagreen green forestgreen darkolivegreen limegreen olive olivedrab
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed May 16, 2012 12:30 pm
Hey there! Just wanted to drop you off some crit for Lalita!
Overall, she was such an enjoyable read. You've written her as a very realistic girl with realistic problems and desires. So really, I don't have as much crit to give as I do praise, because I was very impressed with her. Her family seems like a lot of fun and I really enjoy the ability you've given her in regards to her wish.
There are a few things I want to ask, mostly "what if" questions to get you thinking!
Just to play on the safe side, I'd maybe avoid the mentioning of Kyuubey at the end of her history. Even if what you've put is pretty roundabout, taking it out also gives you more freedom when the event DOES happen, should you decide to do things differently. :3
She doesn't really connect easily with others, you said, but what of those who try to make friends first? How does she perceive more outgoing people who seem to be interested in her?
How would she handle someone who may be romantically interested in her? (Mostly just a question for fun!)
You say she enjoys quite a few extracurriculars, but does she enjoy one above the rest of them? If so, is it particularly paining if she cannot succeed as much in that one activity as the others?
Unless you meant it to be related to her fear of failure, is there anything that particularly caused her sensitivity to critique? Any instances of conflict between peers as a child that could have contributed to that?
Not so much a question or critique, but really a suggestion: I'd give some thought to some other abilities that could stem from her wish, once you finalize that! Just to plan for the future, really. biggrin
Lalita seems like such a little dollface and I can't wait to see her in action! Hope these questions helped! <3
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Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2012 12:11 pm
HI I'M LATE. Thank you so much for your fantastic crit! After wibbling for almost a month, I am going to stop overthinking everything and just go with it!
Just to play on the safe side, I'd maybe avoid the mentioning of Kyuubey at the end of her history. Even if what you've put is pretty roundabout, taking it out also gives you more freedom when the event DOES happen, should you decide to do things differently. :3
- Thanks for pointing this out! You're right, that needed to go- it was meant to be a signal that "hey we're at the present now" but it was neither necessary nor very appropriate.
She doesn't really connect easily with others, you said, but what of those who try to make friends first? How does she perceive more outgoing people who seem to be interested in her?
- Lalita's first response to most situations is to withdraw until she can handle them (but without making mistakes, she doesn't learn how to handle them). In the case that someone doesn't let her withdraw, she's forced to deal with them. This would likely vary based on the person, but in general, negative attention would bring out her passive-aggressive behavior full-force, while positive attention would actually make her relax her guard- slightly. Lalita does have the ability to make friends, but since she's so focused on herself, any potential friend would have to invest way more time and energy in the relationship, so it doesn't happen a lot. When it does, Lalita tends to get bogged down in guilt over her inability to reciprocate feelings when the person's not in her face demanding it, which makes her avoid other relationships even MORE (vicious cycles are kind of a recurring theme here). Also, outgoing people tend to make her wistful for the days when she could freely and comfortably help people, but that's a very internalized thing that doesn't directly affect her actions.
So, in short, any relationship with Lalita would be difficult to form and require a ton of energy and understanding on the part of the friend to maintain, but it is possible. I added a piece that touches on this to her personality section, so I hope that helps!
How would she handle someone who may be romantically interested in her? (Mostly just a question for fun!)
- As with any other social situation, Lalita would withdraw. Quickly. She would also have a hard time taking any potential suitors seriously- how can anyone seriously love her when she's such a failure? Much more likely that they're making fun of her. As with potential friends, it would take a HUGE investment of energy and an enormous amount of understanding and patience to get Lalita to even seriously consider a romantic relationship, and even then, she's too emotionally immature for it to go anywhere faster than a snail drenched in molasses.
You say she enjoys quite a few extracurriculars, but does she enjoy one above the rest of them? If so, is it particularly paining if she cannot succeed as much in that one activity as the others?
- No, Lalita does not have a favorite extracurricular, or even one that she enjoys, as she does not currently enjoy any of them. Even when she was still succeeding at them, her pleasure was derived from her success, not the specific activity. As mentioned under Desires, what she really wants is (at least in part) "to be good at something she truly enjoys." The concept of enjoying something without being good at it is totally alien to her, but she recognizes that she doesn't have fun with her current activities, she just doesn't want to try and fail at something else.
Unless you meant it to be related to her fear of failure, is there anything that particularly caused her sensitivity to critique? Any instances of conflict between peers as a child that could have contributed to that?
- You got it! It is absolutely related to her fear of failure, and more specifically her self-fulfilling prophecies. Lalita believes she's bad at something, therefore she's bad in practice, therefore she believes she's bad. But it's one thing to believe she's bad and another to hear it confirmed from outside sources, which hurts far more because she's clearly SO bad that EVERYONE can tell.
Not so much a question or critique, but really a suggestion: I'd give some thought to some other abilities that could stem from her wish, once you finalize that! Just to plan for the future, really.
- I wasn't sure what was appropriate to include! I did have a couple of other ideas, which I added to that section, but am always open to more suggestions (and will be as Lalita develops).
Thank you so so so so much, this helped enormously! I'm really glad that she was a fun read, and I'm so excited about playing her (even if my snail's pace doesn't make that immediately evident sweatdrop ) Thanks again! heart
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Messenger of Magic Captain
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Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2012 8:51 pm
APPROVED!
Try, try again, Lalita Singh, we'll be rooting for you backstage! This profile was very elegantly written and we appreciate the uniqueness of both her wish and personality, not to mention the questions you answered gave her even more depth. We can't find any fault with this profile!
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