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YOUNG GIRL

Name: Priya Kumari Chapal
Color: Opium - #DAB0B1
Age: Sixteen
Nationality: British (Indian heritage)
Home/Financial Status: Comfortably middle class
School: Teufel Town High School (Junior transfer student)

Personality: Afflicted by chronic asthma, you could assume that Priya would be reserved, careful, and physically weak. But you'd be wrong. To combat this hindrance, Priya is determined to be strong and self-sufficient. She relies mostly on herself, only asking for help when she knows she really needs it (or when she discovers that she cannot do something alone after a few attempts). Even if she realizes that, yes, she does need someone's assistance of some sort, Priya will be very stubborn and irritable when asking for it. She doesn't like feeling weak, and hates that she needs help at times. She does not realize that you cannot get through life alone. If someone were to offer her help, without her asking, she would most likely grudgingly accept if she felt she could need it, but otherwise she would probably refuse and insist that she was alright. Then, she could say that she hadn't technically asked for help, but had merely accepted help that was offered by someone else; it wouldn't be a move of weakness.

However, every so often, her illness will raise its ugly head, and she will be stricken with fits of coughing, phlegm, and physical weakness (usually spurred by a bout of the common cold or a day with a particularly high pollen count, or even walking by someone who is smoking a cigarette or wearing too much perfume). Priya becomes very surly and irritable during these episodes, especially when they are bad enough to confine her to her bed. Again, she feels inept and weak, and she hates it. She is forced to carry around a rescue inhaler, just in case she has an attack when she is not at home, and her parents have a nebulizer stashed away at home. She hates that she is dependent on these things, and will often look at them with disdain, or refuse to use them if she feels the attacks are minor. Obviously, this could seriously hurt her, and she eventually concedes to using them after her parents' insistence.

But Priya is not defined by her illness. When she is not afflicted by it, she is a relatively normal teenage girl, with hopes and dreams and hobbies. She may be a bit more assertive and headstrong than most, but she considers herself 'normal'. She likes to just hang out with friends, browse the mall (albeit going to different stores than most of her friends), surf the internet, and seems to be attached to her cell phone at the fingertips. You could perhaps call her a bit of a rebel, but she would never do something that she considered dangerous or punishable, such as theft or vandalism. She's a straight arrow, even if she doesn't always look it. Her rebellion surfaces mainly in her hobbies, which include jewelry creation (more steampunk than feminine), video games (usually those deemed 'boy games' such as war-setting, RPG, and 'shooter' games), and various outdoor activities. She is willing to try anything once, as long as it seems safe enough and she knows a bit about it before trying it. One thing that she would avoid at all costs, however, is sports. Her asthma prevents her, even with an inhaler, from doing a lot of running or activities that require quickness and endurance. She likes to build her muscle primarily through yoga, pilates, and a bit of weight-bearing exercise that works at a slow pace. It suits her sensitive lungs much better.

As stated previously, Priya can be very stubborn. Being raised with two older brothers has instilled in her a sense of self-preservation and determination. After all, since both boys are considerably stronger than she is, she needs to be able to fend for herself. It's not so much that she dislikes change, because she knows that change is a necessary thing (even if sometimes she doesn't like it very much), she just doesn't like to be dependent on others. She doesn't like asking for help, admitting that she is wrong, etc. She may even be hesitant to apologize for something, even if it seems trivial, because that means that she did something wrong. She does understand that it can make someone feel better if she apologizes, but it doesn't make it any easier for her to say that she's sorry. But don't misjudge her; Priya is not insensitive or unkind. She can be very loyal and a great friend to those she is close to. She may even console others if the situation calls for it. She'll readily say 'sorry' if it is to apologize for something she didn't do, like if someone else was mean to a friend (in which situation she would probably hunt them down and kick their a**, or at least intimidate them a bit).

Priya Chapal is a complicated and deep girl, for someone of such a young age. She has her faults, but she also has her virtues, just like anyone else.

Appearance: Priya is a strong girl, albeit not a beefy one. Her strength is much more subtle and surprising, especially coming from someone with a chronic illness (even if it is just asthma). Her skin is darker, hinting at her heritage, and possesses a slight auburn tint. Her hair is naturally a dark brown, but she prefers to dye it to a color similar to that of red wine, and cut in an asymmetrical pixie style with a long swath of fringe to her right. She prefers to air on the side of slightly masculine clothing, if only because she prefers to be comfortable and able to move over being feminine. However, she retains her femininity through use of color and accessories. Her light eyes stand out in contrast with her primarily dark color scheme, including her mocha skin.

History: In 1990, Priya's father moved from northern India to England with his beloved wife, who was only eighteen. They were madly in love, and soon after settling in England (in a very nice house courtesy of a friend of Amar's from India), she became pregnant with their first of three children. Kalyani gave birth to their first son, Durai, not even a year after they arrived in England. Life was good for a while, around three years, when another miracle happened: Kalyani became pregnant again, with another boy. They named this one Jaya, and it soon became evident that he was much different, certainly rowdier, than his elder and more focused brother. But Kalyani had always wanted a baby girl to treasure and love just as much as her boys, and while he wouldn't admit to it directly, Amar wanted a princess just as badly. But it seemed impossible.

It seemed that two babies was all that would be given to Kalyani. The couple tried and tried, and after two years, they had almost given up. But after one more try, it was discovered that Kalyani, around a week late by this point, was finally pregnant again. They weren't necessarily hoping for a girl, grateful that she'd been able to get pregnant at all, but it was certainly a gift and a miracle that it turned out to be Priya, a beautiful baby girl, growing inside that woman's belly. Excited beyond belief, Kalyani was hard to convince to keep quiet and calm, too eager to prepare a perfect nursery for their new princess. And after nine excruciating (due to excitement, not pain) months, Priya was born.

Raised in London, Priya and her brothers grew up adopting the nice English accent, instead of the lilting Indian one that both parents possessed. She loved England, the rich history, the lovely architecture, and most of all the lifestyle. However, it was soon discovered that, despite her miraculous conception, Priya was stricken with a chronic illness. Her lungs were oversensitive and weak, which gave her chronic asthma. The first attack happened when she was around two years old, and she was trying to run through the backyard and chase after her brothers. Lungs heaving, heart pumping, her adrenaline level rose too high and she collapsed, gasping desperately for breath. Rushed to the hospital, Priya was diagnosed with chronic asthma, and her life of careful activity began. Despite this, however, she was always a happy child.

But it seemed that her father was growing restless, having lived in England for almost half his life (granted, he lived in India that long, as well). It seemed fate that there happened to be a very prominent doctor in America looking for a well-versed and adept physician's assistant, and had requested Amar in particular (he happened to be an old friend who had left England long before Priya was born). Amar jumped at the chance. He was the type that enjoyed change, enjoyed new chapters of life, and so he convinced Kalyani to move the family to the United States, another well-off country that he believed would be good for them. The children were unhappy, sad to leave their friends and their lives in London, but there was nothing they could do. To this day, Priya misses the streets of London, and wishes to go back someday.

Her eldest brother, Durai, managed to do that. With hard work, determination, and a lot of perseverance when it came to scholarships, he managed to get into the University of Oxford, and so returned to England. Priya has always been a bit jealous, but knows that she cannot get into such a prestigious university. She may not be flunking out, but she is not the top of her class, either (she averages a B+ or an A-). So, she waits her turn, trying her best and trying to avoid her brother while in school. It didn't take long for her make friends, and even to gather attention with her accent and 'unusual' looks. She doesn't mind being the center of attention, but she's not necessarily looking for it, either. She simply wants to get through life and be happy, like her parents. So far, she seems to be doing well.

Family:
Amar Chapal - Father - Physician's Assistant - Forty-three
Priya's father, Amar, is a friendly man. He smiles regularly, rarely seems to be upset, and treats his children like adults at all times. Priya loves him very much, and goes to him often simply to listen to stories from his job or from India, and knows that he loves her just as dearly. She is his princess, after all!

Kalyani Chapal - Mother - Customer Service (Insurance Company) - Forty
Kalyani is Priya's refuge from the testosterone in her household, the only other female available without venturing outside. The woman is protective of her daughter, but means well and loves her very much. She tries often to get her daughter to be more 'girly', but Priya resists very strongly. Despite their differences, they get along very well.

Durai Chapal - Brother - Student (College) - Twenty-one
Durai is the more responsible of the two boys, the one who got into Oxford of his own work. He is very protective of Priya (as much as he can be when he's on the other side of an ocean), and constantly checks up on her via e-mail and hand-written letters when he's feeling nostalgic. Priya is actually capable of saying that she loves her eldest brother.

Jaya Chapal - Brother - Student (High School) - Eighteen
The middle Chapal sibling is much more..adventurous that the others. Rowdy, loud, and wild, Jaya does not hesitate when it comes to a good time. He likes to terrorize Priya, playing jokes on her and teasing her, but does truly care about her. He is always there when she has an asthma episode, but would never admit to this publicly. He does love her, he just has an odd way of showing it. While Priya does love him back, she, too, would never admit this to anyone other than family.


PUELLA MAGI

Language: Hindi

Desires: Priya wants nothing more than to be free of her asthma. She hates the way it limits her, and the way that it has defined her, even if she likes how headstrong and independent she is. If she were to be healthy, she knows that she could be much stronger and of much more use to people.

Emblem: Eternity (Cross of Infinity)

Weapon: Urumi

Type of Magic: Due to the nature of Priya's wish, she has been given the ability to heal much faster than other Puellae. However, this is not the nature of her magic. Her greatest strength lies in illusion-based magic, usually with the intent of disorienting the opponent and making them believe things that are not real (think psychedelic images, sounds, etc). She can decide what kind of hallucinations to create, but cannot control how long they last (although they rarely last less than long enough to distract or thoroughly disorient an enemy).

* Type of magic is tentative, I'm not completely sure about it. I'm also contemplating giving her healing powers, much like drugs used in hospitals heal patients.

I really like her personality and history. They're both believable.

How does she react to people offering her help? I know she doesn't like asking for it herself, so it makes me wonder.

I can't think of anything else right now.

you asked me for crit, but i honestly can't find much to criticize! priya's a gorgeous and interesting character, one of the best i've looked at in a long while. if there's one thing that i feel i should point out, it's that i think their father should have a better reason for uprooting them from england to go to teufel town. starting over in a new place in your youth is one thing, uprooting a whole established family from a place where you have a steady job and income is quite another. could he have moved for family or job opportunities as well as seeking a breath of fresh air?