Post by CATALINA ELIADE on Jun 9, 2014 11:41:24 GMT -5
`CATALINA ELIADE!
`CANDY IS DANDY, BUT LIQUOR IS QUICKER, EVERY KISS YOU GIVE ME MAKES ME SICKER!
NICKNAMES Cat, Cata
AGE 16
GENDER Female
ETHNICITY Romanian
TEACHER OR STUDENT Student
GRADE Year 6
SPECIAL ABILITY(s)
Mental Regression
Catalina can cause mental regression on just about any given person through her voice. This is usually done through her word choice (usually insulting someone or implying such,) but it can also come from the tone of voice, singing, or even little utterances like "Tch."
Mental regression can be divided up into three factors: cognitive, memory, and emotion. Cognitive regression includes reasoning abilities and knowledge in general, memory regression can include both learned skills and past experiences, and emotional regression most often leads to a decrease in inhibition, a greater chance to fall into a "flight or fight" state, and may include general confusion if the regression is severe enough.
The mental regression, for the most part, is temporary, lasting until Catalina says so, but it does has a natural expiration of three hours. She can fluctuate it as she wishes and play around with the three different aspects of the person's mind, but this is often difficult to pull off as it requires a careful execution of words, intonation, and tone.
There is a possibility for permanent damage, however. Although there's almost zero chance of it occurring the first time Catalina uses her powers on someone, frequent abuse of her power on someone can really take a toll on someone's mind. If any relationship (romantic or otherwise) starts to become abusive from her side, then there is almost a guarantee that permanent damage will occur, which can lead to retardation, immaturity, and/or amnesia.
Subliminal Messaging
Catalina can send subliminal messages with her mind, somewhat like mind control, albeit weaker and through the subconscious. There's never a guarantee of her messages leading to the expected outcome, but enough subliminal messages do tend to steer people in the way she wants or makes them more conflicted/reluctant about their prior position. These absolutely cannot be voiced, not while sending the message at least, since that ruins the whole point of being subliminal and does nothing or even break a gradual buildup that Catalina was working on.
The uncertainty which comes with dealing with the subconscious is annoying to say the least, but Catalina can expand her influence by embedding a subliminal message into any sort of text she writes, given enough concentration and a intended victim.
HOW DID THEY FIGURE OUT?
Catalina actually had her mental regression power for as long as she remembered. Of course, she didn't know it was anything special at first, and used it liberally with any kids in the playground or classroom that she didn't like or just wanted to pick on. However, parents started to become concerned when their kids started to act weirdly at home, not recognizing their parents, more intense tantrums, or having increased difficulty reading or doing math. Nobody had any idea how this phenomenon was occurring, with the only connection of the affected children being that they were picked on by her (and sometimes Mihai.) But of course, there was no sensible way that a seven year old girl could possibly inflict this, even if she was fighting and hitting them on the head. Ultimately it was blamed on the school's poor conditions and possible trace chemicals in the water fountains and the school had to close down. No one knew at this point that Catalina actually had this ability, not even her family, but she found out that this power was something special considering that no one had a clue what happened and was making such a big deal out of it.
She became more tame and loosened up on the bullying after that incident, realizing the full effects of what she did. At first she tried to restrict herself completely, though of course that didn't work too well, being as young as she was. Nevertheless, she did learn how to be passive-aggressive rather than all out harassing.
During the middle of her third year at Asher Academy, Cat got a new roommate due to one of the student's transferring out for personal reasons. Although Cat tried to be nice to her new roomie, the girl was obnoxious and all pretentious about getting into a school for superpowers. Catalina kept herself from insulting the other girl, knowing that it wasn't worth the mental regression and its possible long term effects. Instead she kept it all in her thoughts like "Wow if you think you deserve a medal for going here so much why don't you just hang yourself with it."
The roommate started to quiet down a bit after two months, and was later found hanging from a tree near the abandoned chateau. Again, no one figured out the true cause of the incident but it was then that Catalina realized that not only her words were dangerous, but even her thoughts could affect others.[/ul]
`A DAY IN THE DARK, A DAY IN A CLOUD OF GLOOM, YEAH,
- The City - Catalina's a true city girl who loves strolling by the busy streets and enjoying the nightlife. Although she can appreciate places like Asher Academy with it's tropical setting, she does wish that the school could've been located somewhere like NYC.
- Fashion - a fashionista through and through, there's little that Catalina enjoys like a new stylish outfit. If it weren't for her powers, Catalina would've aspired to be a fashion designer, though she can and does make her own clothes.
- The Occult - Catalina would never admit it, but she loves the occult just as much as her twin brother. She tends to focus more on mythological creatures, crystals, and candle magic than anything else.
- Crystals/Gemstones - Speaking of crystals, Catalina loves her shiny stones. Believing in crystal magic, she often uses it through means of jewelry when possible.
- Snakes - She finds them cute, especially the larger pythons. She actually kept a pet corn snake once, but it didn't last long after an accident with Mihai.
- Math - She doesn't look like a nerd of any sort and like to stay that way, but Cat's actually really good with math. Really, really good, she's probably one of the best students in the school (minus those with powers which benefit them at school)
- Dance - As soon as Cat got the opportunity to drop gymnastics, she decided to switch to dance and it's one of the best decisions she's made. She loves most all types of dance (with the exception of folk.)
- Mornings - Catalina's just one of those people that's ready to murder anyone before her first cup of coffee. Just don't do it, she'll fuck you up.
- Rich People - Actually this shouldn't be listed as an outright dislike. Catalina's got a love-hate relationship with rich people in general. On one side, she's envious of those bastards that can buy almost anything they want. On the other side, if she could somehow flatter them enough and be able to take advantage of them a little then well...
- Being ordered around - Demanding teachers, pretentious students that think they own the place, whoever it is, Catalina's not going to just follow everything that someone says without question. fortunately she has the advantage of subtly influencing those people to not treat her that way.
- Water - Yeah swimsuits are cute and all, but she's really not into swimming. Especially in pools filled with chlorine, eugh.
- Gymnastics - She might be pretty good at it, but the only reason she ever took part in gymnastics was because she was forced into it.
- Boredom - Catalina abhors being bored and so take part of lots of activities and keeps up an active social life. If she is getting bored, the whole room will know it since she'll just keep whining about it.
- Ending up Alone - It's not so much just being alone but the idea that had without her subliminal messaging powers, no one would choose to be with her by their own free will. As great as it is to influence people, she can't help but to worry that maybe nobody really cares.
- Permanently Retarding Someone - Although she can't outright kill someone with her ability like Mihai, it's still possible that Catalina can permanently damage someone's psyche, emotionally and/or cognitively. Although she has pretty good control over her abilities, it's still dangerous to play with something that can cause irreversible brain damage.
- Buried Alive - While closed spaces in themselves are not terribly upsetting, Catalina does have a case of taphaphobia. The mere sight of coffins unnerve her and because of her fear, she tends to avoid graveyards when possible.
-Catalina's actually a sucker for gothic lolita fashion, but she doesn't have the clothes for it, nor does she want to admit it.
-She has a tendency to use dark jokes at inappropriate times
-Has an abnormal amount of knowledge on taxidermy and serial killers.
OVERALL PERSONALITY
Catalina can be a bit of a tease, even from the start. She enjoys picking on people a little for the fun of it, usually in a light manner. You might be better off if you don't know her well yet, since she's more likely to back off if things get a bit uncomfortable. However, she does get a bit more mischievous as you get to know her better, and in her own way too. There's less pranks and slapstick humor and more of what Cat would call "casual blackmail." Whether it can be called "casual" or not is arguable, since it can range from silly little things to infidelity and other dark secrets. To Cat, it has less to do with the actual material but the way she briefly mentions it in a brief and sometimes inappropriately light manner. Don't worry, it's rare for her to actually use blackmail and the teasing's really more of a way to show affection than anything else.
She's a bit on the vain side, too. Always conscious about her appearance, Catalina's one of those girls who would rather come to an event late than look substandard. This conscientiousness over appearances also leads her to be quick at judging others. She's not so pretentious as to avoid anyone that may look... a bit unappealing, but there will be a noticeable difference in how she acts. As she gets to know the person better, this could eventually go away but just like with anyone else, first impressions last. Her vanity also extends to her abilities. Catalina's powers are strong, possibly devastating, and she knows it. Fortunately, she has a relatively good control, but she takes that a bit too well. She thinks of herself as better than a good portion of the school while keeping everyone's different powers in mind just in case it might come in handy.
Oddly enough, she doesn't brag about her resourcefulness and street smarts. Cat's mainly a practical thinker and can figure her way through a lot of real life situations even without relying on her abilities. Honestly, she'd be a damn good ally if she doesn't betray you or anything, whether it's for a hero/sidekick duo or just navigating through a city. She's quick at noticing things and will stay by your side as long as it's either beneficial for her or you're just to close of a friend (or family) to just ditch. She's also the type of person who would also think of 'life hacks' to make life easier and more efficient and likes to think up of shortcuts when she can. And then she would hint at finding said shortcut and try to charge a fee, monetary or otherwise, for anyone who wanted to know, and only if they really wanted it. If it wasn't for her compulsive spending behavior, Cat would hold a sum of money worth boasting about.
Catalina's good at hiding her thoughts and intentions, which could be both good and bad. She doesn't openly demean others that seem weak unless she has a darn good reason, but this also makes her quite dishonest. Not like she has much of a choice, considering the way that her mental regression powers activate, but this led her to become a professional liar, rarely ever showing hints of lying through body language and even confusing some students that can naturally tell if someone's being honest. It's a bad habit, really, and one she holds almost no remorse for, unless it leads to a negative outcome for herself. Cat usually reasons her lack of remorse by saying that it's often better to lie than to say anything that would cause mental regression, but that itself isn't completely honest. At this point, lying is just the way she rolls.
Regardless of her list of negative qualities, Catalina knows how to have fun and is a generally optimistic person. She's ready to take new opportunities and be a bit daring. and not in the stupid way that some other teenagers can be when they try to come up with viral video ideas. If things start heading south, she knows that there's going to be some route she can take to improve things, even if it's something extreme like permanent regression. Or at least that's what she tells herself to avoid being debilitated with anxiety over using her abilities.
`I LOOK AT YOU, YOU LOOK AT ME, MILK AND ROSES, SQUEAKY CLEAN!
[/ul][/font]"Eugh, why do those teachers have to give us so much work, we're not even going to use any of the things we learn, for real!"
Catalina wanted to groan. Lana had to be one of, if not the most, annoying person she's had to deal with. It didn't help that she had to live with the other in a dorm, and it wasn't even like a college dorm so Cat could find excuses to go out at night if only to just avoid the girl. Lana, although one year her senior, was just so pretentious about attending Asher Academy despite the fact that everyone here was also attending said school and all had different powers, many of whom had abilities that were stronger than Lana's (What was it again? Phasing? It would fit her annoying personality.)
"Maybe if you stopped complaining, you'd be done by now." Catalina sighed, trying to hold back any aggressiveness in her voice. As much as she'd love to induce regression, Yuna, her other roommate, was more than aware of her abilities and would ruin the fun.
"Oh but you know how Mr.Zwingli grades, any real attempt would be a waste." Lana tossed her papers on her desk, still oblivious as always. For someone that always brags, she's so incompetent at... well, everything. The girl's only a sidekick, for one, has mediocre grades, would be considered 'average' on the social ladder (or whatever semblance of it the school has, being a unique environment and all,) and wears neon on a regular basis. Honestly, why would someone do that to themselves? Keep the neon on the highlighters, god.
Actually no. Just go hang yourself or something, it's not like you'll survive long as a sidekick of any sort. The only real option you have is to pretend to be a normal person with a normal job and normal life. Catalina looked away and cringed. That wasn't right.
But it was true.
...But it wasn't right. Lana was only annoying, she hadn't actually done anything that would call for punishment. It was just a lot of negative emotions storing up inside and manifesting in Cat's thoughts, that's all. She'll just mess with the girl's head a bit some time in between classes, while Diana's not around. That should relieve things.
"...Cat?"
Catalina turned back around and saw that Lana appeared more tense for some reason, her right hand scratching the back of her neck a bit too hard, already showing red marks that were just barely visible under her thin hair. Cat opened her mouth to say something, but Lana shook her head.
"Oh, never mind. Forgot what I was going to say." Lana fake laughed and sat down to finally get started on her homework, but her hand remained on her neck for a moment longer before reaching for the pencil. The whole moment had an air of peculiarity about it, enough to make Catalina suspicious. It couldn't have been her ability, for sure, she had played with it enough to know it only worked through verbal cues and even if it had somehow activated, the reaction still doesn't make sense.
Cat sat still, running different theories through her head from Lana actually playing a trick on her to either of them gaining a new ability. It wouldn't make sense for Lana to gain an ability like mind reading, since it's so unrelated to her current one and talented as they are, the students here don't have a bunch of random powers under their belt like Superman. And if Catalina herself had some other ability, she would've known for sure by now since she'd gone through so much experimentation even before attending this school. All that she could do for now was pretend to look busy on her phone and try to disregard the odd incident as just that, without any real reason except a faulty short-term memory.
Actually no. Just go hang yourself or something, it's not like you'll survive long as a sidekick of any sort. The only real option you have is to pretend to be a normal person with a normal job and normal life. Catalina looked away and cringed. That wasn't right.
But it was true.
...But it wasn't right. Lana was only annoying, she hadn't actually done anything that would call for punishment. It was just a lot of negative emotions storing up inside and manifesting in Cat's thoughts, that's all. She'll just mess with the girl's head a bit some time in between classes, while Diana's not around. That should relieve things.
"...Cat?"
Catalina turned back around and saw that Lana appeared more tense for some reason, her right hand scratching the back of her neck a bit too hard, already showing red marks that were just barely visible under her thin hair. Cat opened her mouth to say something, but Lana shook her head.
"Oh, never mind. Forgot what I was going to say." Lana fake laughed and sat down to finally get started on her homework, but her hand remained on her neck for a moment longer before reaching for the pencil. The whole moment had an air of peculiarity about it, enough to make Catalina suspicious. It couldn't have been her ability, for sure, she had played with it enough to know it only worked through verbal cues and even if it had somehow activated, the reaction still doesn't make sense.
Cat sat still, running different theories through her head from Lana actually playing a trick on her to either of them gaining a new ability. It wouldn't make sense for Lana to gain an ability like mind reading, since it's so unrelated to her current one and talented as they are, the students here don't have a bunch of random powers under their belt like Superman. And if Catalina herself had some other ability, she would've known for sure by now since she'd gone through so much experimentation even before attending this school. All that she could do for now was pretend to look busy on her phone and try to disregard the odd incident as just that, without any real reason except a faulty short-term memory.
`WELL YOU'RE THE BEST I'VE EVER SEEN, AND I'M YOUR LYING BEAUTY QUEEN!
AGE 17
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I am Catalina Eliade and I am a SIDEKICK!
I am Catalina Eliade and I am a SIDEKICK!
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