Liliana Zofia Chopin

Liliana Zofia Chopin​

Appearance Description:

Liliana wears a pale pallor and a notably slim, even ailing frame, but her more bold features are oft the first to define her. Her blue eyes are filled with the telltale willfulness of youth, and her blond hair, while almost never granted any especial attention, still manages to naturally frame her face. Something about her aura hints at affluence, certainly, but even the most astute of observers might be challenged to know where that feeling comes from. She would never allow herself to be placed into any gown more formal than her usual sweatshrts, skirts, and pants, nor would she ever trifle with makeup (beyond some foundation, and maybe blush here or there). Perhaps it's that unusually severe look she keeps on her countenance, then, that foretells of her upbringing? Maybe it's the nuance of her perfectly straightened poise? ... assuming, of course, that she doesn't just do that to appear taller than she really is. You would too, though, if you were only five feet (153 cm) tall at 14 years old! On the other hand, she never needs to be shy in sharing her own weight... though she'll still not deliver any definite figures.

Liliana's most common ensemble consists of a cyan hoodie with a star embroidered at its top-right, paired then to alabaster jeans. She'll usually have some accessory in her hair, too: a headband some days, a more subtle clip on others, then even a favorite feather pin when she's feeling particularly ambitious. While this is exemplary of her personal favorite color combination (blue on white), she'll branch out on occasion, sometimes incorporating a lavender or pink shirt instead. Even when she doesn't -wear- her favorite jacket, though, she'll usually keep it tied around her waist — she's really horribly unwilling to part with the thing, much in the same way as a younger child might be to leave their comfort blanket.

All that said, 'Miss Chopin' undeniably keeps an icy atmosphere about her. Just, for a select few people, that will eventually clarify into a sweet Spring breeze.



Quote: "I'll remember the past, that all those who lived may carry on to the future."

Personality Description:

While extremely reserved and a bit standoffish at first, Liliana is nowhere near as presumptuous or condescending as her background — or her demeanor — may lead one to believe. It's just in her nature to remain quiet, particularly in a classroom setting. She's an observer first, preferring to get to know people by watching their interactions between one another than by interacting with them directly. Unfortunately, this often makes her come off as snooty, or rude, but it also means that she knows more about her classmates and teachers than most anyone assumes. This, combined with the mystique of her silence, can make her seem far more knowledgeable than she actually is.

By no means, though, is that meant to suggest that Liliana isn't intelligent; she has been a straight A student since grade school, and the only B she has ever received on a report card came from a Calculus Course last year. She is usually able to contrive interest in any subject, but her primary interests lie in four things: dreams, music, history, and psychology. She gravitates toward people who share these interests, particularly when they enjoy the same genres of sound. And before you ask — yes, she has a certain fascination with Classical melodies. But -no-, she is not related to Frederic Chopin! That's only a rumor, and one she's grown quite ill of hearing... particularly because she would like for it to be true.

Even if this doesn't give her a bloated sense of self-confidence, it does give her extremely high expectations of others. She will rarely tolerate rudeness of any kind, and is one of the first to step in should bullying occur within her vicinity. Further, she does not take kindly to those who are unduly 'loud', boisterous, or otherwise abrasive to her quieter personality, and she unwittingly allows her first impressions of people to shape her perceptions of them in a large - perhaps too large - way. If she likes you the first time she sees you? Good — there's a high probability that she'll hold you in high esteem forever. If she doesn't? Then you're probably stuck there. Certain souls have been known to break out of her blacklist, though, through extensive applications of effort.

Still, if you're able to penetrate her shell you'll find that she's really quite a warm, gentle, reflective person at heart. She has a melancholic worldview and an unusual fixation on the possibilities of the afterlife, each of which have encouraged her to study and catalogue the lives of as many people as she is able. 'It's to preserve them,' She's wont to say, 'to keep them alive through memory.' She loves to share herself with people when she knows that they're willing to listen, and is surprisingly quick to form familial bonds with those friends she is able to make.

Perhaps all this has influenced Liliana's current life goal to attain a doctorate in the field of Archaeological Chronomancy, or the application of time travel to study history. When she isn't working toward that particular goal, though, she occupies her time playing the piano, writing poetry, reading, or studying. She's also quite fond of strolls in areas which she considers pretty. In all these ways, her interests and activities belie her youth, and she is especially sensitive to teasing that references her 'unusually refined tastes'. Rarely (if ever) does she dabble in athletics, but she doesn't seem to mind tennis and swimming so much as she does other sports, so should she ever join a club in that vein those pursuits would be her first choices.

Powers:

Chronomancy: The magic of the manipulation of time. The applications for this are broad, but most commonly Liliana will utilize this ability for the following:

Exclusion: A 'spell' that removes Liliana from the normal flow of time, allowing her to traverse a surrealistic passage wherein she may not interact or be interacted with by any other physical entities. The sole exception to this rule is if Liliana has brought another person into her 'Exclusion Zone' alongside her, which requires that that person hold her hand before this power is initiated. Any movements that Liliana makes can generally not be perceived while this is in effect, though particularly astute mages may be able to sense and expose her temporal manipulation. For this reason, she would never attempt to use this power for cheating; school staff would probably suss her out.

Shift: Literal time travel. Through this ability, Liliana may transpose an incorporeal manifestation of herself upon the past of whatever area she happens to be in presently. This allows her to observe any events that may have occurred there with the setting structured as it would have been at that time, but it is impossible for her to directly interact with what she finds there, or to be seen by those individuals. It may also bear mention that this ability has no access whatsoever to the future, and that it can also be shared with a single other person through contact.

(Note: Observation of settings uniquely owned by other players becomes consent-based.)

Unwind: The power of reversal. Liliana can undo an event entirely so long as it has occurred within the last five minutes, giving herself the opportunity to alter her reaction to that event. For example, if someone were hit by a car and Liliana noticed this within this time constraint, she would theoretically be able to reverse time to a point where she could push them out of harm's way. When Liliana initiates a reversal, she remains in the same position she is currently in regardless of where she might have been at the moment she reverts to, and overwrites the existence of any other Liliana that may have been present at that time. This means that, to external sources, she may appear to disappear'. This ability may only be used once per in-character day.

(Note: This, like 'Shift', is subject to the consent of those involved where it would matter.)

Pause: The power of stasis. Liliana can pause up to seven inanimate objects in time at once, or one person/animal at once (with their consent). Any paused objects/people can be interacted with as though they were in the normal flow of time, but will only react to those changes once they are no longer being impacted by this ability. Through this power, Liliana can mimic telekinesis to 'levitate' objects, or prevent the worsening of wounds by freezing someone until they can be properly treated.

Somniatis: The manipulation of dreams. In the context of Liliana, though, this ability extends a bit further than that: it also pertains to the hopes, aspirations, and emotions of people. This is inclusive of a subtle, yet deceptively far-reaching set of passive skills and traits:

Empathy: Liliana is more likely than most to accurately determine the emotional state of a person. Rather than reading their expressions or learning to decipher nuance, her own ability to lucid dream has, failing any easier explanation, brought her spirit in 'closer proximity' to the collective unconscious. For her, this means that she is able to tangibly sense the feelings of others, at least to a degree. When she is near to someone who is angry, or depressed, she will adopt some of those feelings herself. However, in the presence of many people at once it often becomes difficult for Liliana to determine which emotions come from where, limiting her ability to put this to practical use. This power can also physically hurt her when she is around too many people at once, explaining why she isn't terribly fond of crowds.

Lucidity: Liliana is fully cognizant of herself and her surroundings when she is asleep, even when she would prefer not to be. This carries over into shared dreams and hallucinations, which can at times enable her to do things within those condensed realities that are normally impossible for her, like flying or creating objects out of thin air. These 'powers' are completely restricted to the dreamworld, though, and can have no impact whatsoever on the physical world. She is also sometimes able to share this with others who are asleep for the duration of the dream in question, though this depends on the person.

Sharing: Often just a kindly worded way of saying 'Invasion', Sharing describes Liliana's ability to project her awareness into the dreams of others. The moment this is accomplished, she will lose consciousness herself, meaning that it's typically best for her to be in a seated or lain posture before this is initiated. Once she is in another person's dream, she can be expelled if she is recognized as a foreign presence, meaning that it is typically best for her to disguise herself as either a background aspect, or at the least one more familiar to the dreamer. Though this ability can be used on both unaware and informed people, its execution comes -far- more easily when Liliana has previously garnered their consent, and using it without permission can be extremely dangerous.

Paranoia: The power of illusion, though certainly not as grandiose in scale as it may be for some others. This final talent allows Liliana to prey upon the exhaustion of others by coaxing certain elements of their perception further toward the world of dreams. This means that she can fool them into believing they've just seen a shadow round a corner, or heard something nonexistent call their name. This ability is weak at best and tends to only work well when the affected is teetering on the brink of drowsiness already, but may still help Liliana to distract others for a choice second here or there.

Biography:

Liliana was born in an exclusive suburb of Warsaw, Poland, to the parents Elżbieta Chopin and Józef Chopin. Her arrival was met with mixed reactions from Rostek Chopin, her elder brother, and Luiza, her elder sister, though the latter at least grew to love her with time. All three of them, though, were blessed from birth with lives of privilege that most children could only dream of: their parents were exceptionally lucky investors, and their family name one of the most prestigious in the area. They claimed ownership of not only the fourth largest home in the city, but also of a vacation home resting on one of the islands adjacent Manta Carlos. Each of the Chopin children, therefore, could want for nothing; every luxury and modern convenience was freely given to them, as were the affections of many people, though some not with the purest of intentions albeit.

Even wealth, though, can not hope to circumvent the capricious airs of chance. Liliana has from birth been stricken with a very mild case of cystic fibrosis, which has both stunted her growth and given her a smattering of other symptoms, many of which mirror asthma. This made life in the city exceedingly difficult, and when this compounded with the headaches she began to experience due to the manifestation of her 'Empathy' ability at age 6, she was moved more permanently to the family's Winter residence. The intention of this was to improve her health by putting distance between her, the crowds of the city, and the evidence of industry in the atmosphere.

The good news was that this was a rousing success, and she was able to live more easily there. The bad news, however, was that her family could not afford to make the move with her... or at least, not permanently. The family was only able to visit her over the holidays. A governess and a full home staff were always around to wait on her, but she quickly grew lonely with the absence of her sister, mother, and father. Alas, there was no helping it, so this is how her life progressed for some time. She attended a school local to her island until she grew to be 12.

Then, though, more oddity entered her life. Liliana began experiencing frequent lucid dreams, after which she became more fully aware of her other abilities. She found that she was able to 'feel' along with her various attendants, and indeed, even share in their dreams. It was through this, and frequent experiments with her youngest maid and friend, Emilia, that Liliana both discovered and garnered experience with many of her powers. Still, all these experiences were kept private, clearly segregated from common knowledge.

Or at least, they were. Liliana discovered another ability some time later: time manipulation. The circumstances under which this talent came to light, though, were far less fantastic and joyous than one might figure. One day, whilst playing near the street outside her home, Liliana witnessed the accidental death of a black cat that had meandered in front of a car. Horrified, stunned, Liliana grabbed the hand of Emilia for comfort, only to realize that time had paused for both of them. Shortly afterward, Liliana put 'Unwind' to use for the first time to move the cat long before the car could arrive, thus saving its life. Naturally, the both of them had assumed this had just been a dream, and yet...

... and yet several days afterward, a letter arrived in the mail: an invitation to Starlight Academy.

That moment was, however ironically, the only thing that proved to her that she -hadn't- been unconscious. So with the eager urging of Emilia, and the full support of her family abroad, Liliana agreed to enroll for her Junior year. Now, after the conclusion of her Sophomore term, she'll finally transfer...