[Magician] Erin Lightheart

FULL NAME: Erin Lightheart
OTHER ALIAS: Detective Lightheart
CURRENT AGE: 18
GENDER: Female
OCCUPATION: Private Investigator
SCHOOL: None
FACTION: None



APPEARANCE: Sporting long, light blue hair with matching eyes, Erin gives the impression of a bright and cheerful individual to those who only look at the surface. She possesses very fair skin owing to her mostly Celtic heritage, which may not result in freckles, does instead make her rather prone to sunburn. Her eyes are even more photophobic and thus she is averse to being outdoors on bright, sunny days unless she is sporting sunglasses.  She often wears a long, dark blue skirt with a simple white, long sleeved shirt at home and while on the job. For the rare formal occasion, it is not uncommon to see her wearing something lightly coloured and quite frilly. When out on the town, she is distinguished by her wearing of a simple blue hat which she tends to lose and give chase after in the wind. How it manages to stay clean despite these frequent adventures is a secret! She is rather short, unimposing, and appears to be even somewhat frail with a lack of physical training.
HEIGHT: 158cm
WEIGHT:  42kg
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Almost remarkably unremarkable, really.



PERSONALITY:

High-strung
Erin has lived her whole life with debilitating anxiety. She has a peculiar train of thought in which she tends to attempt to predict what people may say or do at every opportunity, as well as try to plan ahead for every eventuality. The mental energy this consumes really takes a toll rather quickly, so it's best to be honest and open with her about your intentions and plans. This does however grant her some impressive tactical thinking when the going gets rough, so if a situation has turned bad, she is likely the one to turn to for advice on how to escape it. Another negative side to this is that she will tend to assume the worst and plan accordingly in any given bad situation even if it ends up being minor. Due to all the time spent in her head, she can appear to be someone who doesn't pay attention, and slow to react.

(Too) Kind and Empathetic
Unlike most people, or even groups of people, she too easily opens herself up to others and attempts to understand their situation and help them if she can. She cares not for who the person is, what they belong to, or what they look like, so long as they aren't actively causing harm to others. This has led to her being burned and abused by people with manipulative tendencies in the past, and has contributed greatly to her high-strung personality as she grew up. Politically and factionally neutral, Erin is willing to help anybody out of a jam and feels bad if there are difficulties in doing so. Even just hearing someone express anger and sadness at being in a bad situation is enough to cause her enough pain that she might as well be caught up in it, too. Given past experiences though, she will keep most people at a distance until she can determine their intentions properly, as much as it pains her to not give each person her all immediately. Furthermore, this aspect of her personality gives her something of a pacifistic attitude.

Deconstruction Artist
She's cynical and savvy enough to be able to observe and read a person or group's actions, words, and other behaviours to determine their true character and motivations, simply laying them out in summary form even if she has to do it only in her head. The result is often quite reductionist, but she believes that deep down, most people are driven by far simpler and often selfish goals and motivations that even they may not be aware of. She finds herself doing this to every person she meets naturally, due to an inherent distrust of any person who believes themselves to be greater or more complex than they really are. To a lesser extent, this aspect of her personality can be employed against situations in general rather than specific people or groups, but as these are more vague, her ability to narrow them down is lessened and she must rely more on guesswork and approximations. This side of her personality is the one she draws from alongside her being high-strung to great use in her profession as a Private Investigator.

Blends in
Due to her rather unremarkable nature, and way with words, she can easily give other people the impression that she knows more than she really does, or that she does in fact belongs where she is. From contextual clues often unwittingly surrendered by other people, and clever use of wordplay and suggestion, she picks up on the right amount of details needed to understand what to do in order to fit the role she's pretending to be in. Of course, this can be overcome if the necessary context is overly technical or someone is overly critical and suspicious of her to begin with.

Goal-Oriented
Erin, once she has her goal set, will absolutely see it through to the end no matter what. She's very much a "Big Picture" thinker and is therefore willing to adapt or change plans at a moment's notice in response to new circumstances and information so long as the end goal remains the same. While she isn't willing to harm other people, she does not see a reason not to deceive undesirable people in order to reach her goals, which is a touch more pragmatic than one might expect out of someone like her.

Grounded
She has no delusions of grandeur, mighty world-changing ideals, does not entertain the notion of power or revenge fantasies, nor sees herself as special or even unique. Every person is just a person, and she pities those who see themselves as anything greater than what they are. The quest for identity often does not lead to very ego-satisfying results most of the time, so most people overcompensate with power, materialism, or titles to satisfy it. She does not wish to follow in their footsteps, and so does her best to live a humble life in which she strives to just be the best person she can be with nothing else attached to it.

Lonely
It's no secret that Erin is rather friendless and therefore lonely. Deprived of meaningful companionship during her childhood, combined with the other aspects of her personality, this has culminated in a person rather starved for friends and people she can truly trust and rely on even if she can't outright admit it to others.

Unlucky
It's no surprise that Erin is not one to find herself in great or even good situations. In fact, bad situations seem to come to her doorstep on a regular basis, and this is what led to her resigning herself to this fate and just accepting what happens as it happens. She does hope for good days, but prepares for bad ones all the same.

Fiercely Independent
Erin works best at her own pace and as her own boss. This is not only due to the personality trait found below this one, but also rooted in her natural distrust and suspicion of other groups of people, particularly those claiming to be heroes, saviours, the one true good of this evil world, the whole works. That is not to say she never works with others; rather she wishes to be brought along as an equal or a friend, rather than an underling, lieutenant, or recruit. She holds no loyalty to any one group or faction, and keeps to herself mostly. Any attempts at recruitment will be met with the same reaction as one might give to a creepy cult banging on their door asking if they have heard about disco aliens from the banana republic of gleeb.

Indomitable
Our young detective is not one to give up, ever, even if her body is beaten and broken. Her spirit never wavers, and her sense of self stays strong even in the most trying of times. Through despair, misery, war, and chaos she plans to thwart those keeping the status quo. Even if she may lack the physical strength to do something directly, she will never stop staring those responsible in the eye and plotting their end. The concept of submission never crosses her mind in these situations; she sees herself as the last possible person who can take a stand and do something, so if she gives up, then she would be letting everyone else down as there would be nobody left to help them if she were to surrender.

A Guiding Light in the Darkness
This trait is the inspiration for Erin's magic name. She has a fondness for old tales of heroes, and leaders who would guide their people out of bad situations, war, and other terrible calamities. She does not believe that such people actually existed as written, but were rather people who rose up and embodied the concept of the hero or leader the people needed for a short time. As such, she reached the conclusion that even someone like her would need to be ready to stand up and embody that role when the time came. If nobody else was willing, it would be up to her to take control of a situation and guide everyone else. It is at this moment that there is a fire in her eyes, and her mental energy and concentration flares up and she is truly at her best supporting others very much like a tactician or strategist. She truly wishes to help and guide others out of danger, not once even caring about herself. Her primary spell is only usable in this state.

LIKES:
-Honesty
-Humbleness
-Cute things
-Celtic and Brythonic Mythologies
-Gnosticism
-Traditional Celtic Music
-History
-Meeting people
-Helping people
-Reading
-Playing the harp

DISLIKES:
-Dishonesty
-Factions
-Violence
-War
-Manipulative people
-Egocentic people
-Those with delusions of grandeur
-People with overinflated senses of importance and influence

STRENGTHS:
-Strong willed
-Critical and skeptical thinker
-Well organized
-Stands up for other people
-Is at her best when helping others out of a bad situation
-Always thinking
-Rarely loses focus on the bigger picture
-Can read and understand a person's motivations and goals, and present them in simplified, self-centered ways to hopefully help them understand what it is they're really doing, and why.
-Very kind and trusting (unless you're a faction or person who employs violence or manipulations.)
-Never abandons a friend or companion (Now if only she can get one...)
-Can blend in easily
-Can make use of the environment to make a hasty escape when necessary
WEAKNESSES:
-Unlucky
-Can be paranoid and high-strung
-Always thinking
-Gets in way over her head
-Lacks combat awareness and training
-Average physical fitness
-Knowledge of magic is mostly limited to the creation and use of spells, nothing about Magic-Science politics, or greater Magician Society.
-Sunlight
-Unfriendly to factions and people who appear to have egocentic, sanctimonious goals even if this perception is a mistake
-Anxious to the point that she is left with lower than normal mental energy
-Her desperate need for friendship or companionship shows, and is quite obvious.
-Is rather poorly equipped to deal with huge threats and disasters

HISTORY:
The Lightheart family history is quite vagarious, to say the least. Erin's mother, Nia Lightheart, was a moderately wealthy Welsh Magician whose escapades gained some local notoriety, Erin's birth being one of them. Nia was known for her wanderlust and love of adventure despite the rest of the Lighthearts traditionally staying put and taking up positions and jobs at family businesses and the like. They were always at a loss as to what to do with Nia, but figured she would grow out of it as she aged. This of course, never happened and when she one day returned from a trip to Ireland with an unfamiliar man while carrying the baby Erin, that was the last straw.

Nia never grew up. She continued traveling around after dumping Erin's unnamed father, taking her daughter with her during her travels around the British Isles, never staying in any one place for too long, but Ireland seemed to be a frequent place. Erin grew up rather isolated,never able to make lasting friends as her Mother kept deciding to move, looking to old Celtic folktale and mythological books to keep her company instead. Thanks to her isolation, her social development was stunted and she was frequently made a target of bullying no matter where she went. The poor girl never had any stability in her life, and she was continually dreading the next move, or the next time she would be left home alone for over a week without warning.

Erin's anxiety problems only grew deeper as she never had a parental figure around to teach her how to cope with bad feelings, and the lack of nurturing only contributed to her complexes and neuroses. Nia was never prepared for the gargantuan task of raising a child, so she was proud that Erin seemed to be educating and raising herself with all the books she left lying around at home, and the television. Yes, she was this ignorant and neglectful. However, Erin only really wanted a Mother to be around for her, rather than one who was either just telling her stories or vanishing for days at a time. By the time Erin was ten years old, she was clearly suffering from loneliness, depression, and who knows what else.

Her increasing interest in Gnosticism, along with Celtic and British folklore was finally noticed by her mother, and for once the immature magician paid attention to her daughter. Irresponsibly, she began tutoring Erin in the ways of magic believing the two would become partners in crime or something. But like all things, Nia quickly lost interest. While she was able to teach her daughter the fundamentals of Idol Theory, Symbolism, Mana, Magic Names, and how to craft spells, there was no effort made to teaching her about Magician society, Magic-Science politics, or even how the world's major Religions are related to magic. From this abandonment of interest and attention, Erin felt as though she had done something wrong, and that she was unworthy and unloved. This feeling was only exacerbated when she was taken to a cottage and farm outside Caernarfon in Wales to visit her Uncle Rhys Lightheart and Aunt Eira Lightheart. It was all too obvious that when Nia left her daughter in their care and never returned after a month, that Erin had been left to them to raise.

Rhys and Aira tried their best to raise her with love, but the damage caused by Nia's neglect was already done. Erin was quite socially inept and continued to cling to old myths and folklore for comfort in this scary world, despite really wanting friends. These Lighthearts weren't magicians, so Erin's ignorance of the Magic world outside of how to use and craft spells for her own use continued to be a problem, but she went on continuing her personal research to come up with a magic name and spells that would suit her. Her sensitive nature was not prepared for the bombardment of all the world's problems and suffering as seen in the media, and her mood only worsened. She was weak, useless, and probably unworthy of power and protection, but why were so many innocent people suffering, and why couldn't she help them? Where were all the heroes she read about?

They just weren't around. Or at least, this was how she interpreted events. But if nobody else was around, then who would be the hero those people need? Erin was frightened but determined at the idea of having to be that person, as weak and useless as she was. That is when she finally took on her magic name, hoping to embody that last hope people need when things get desperate. She dedicated her life to helping others despite her perceived weakness. This newfound determination allowed her to triumph over her depression enough to start moving forward again until graduation, and soon found herself being given some leftover money her mother had left behind in order to buy a flat in London to look for work, where she finally came up with her primary spell so she could finally count herself as a Magician, as ad hoc as her methods were.

That spell of course, was to invoke a rather familiar idea: The Arthurian Sword in the Stone. Claíomh Solais, The "Sword of Light." Excalibur. A Sword of Light drawn from stone that radiated brilliantly and indicated the wielder was a leader who could guide their people through tough times. If she could only borrow the power of something that great when it came time for her to stand up and invoke her magic name, then she could feel satisfied. Lacking a sword, and not wanting to use anything considered a weapon to begin with, she found that utilizing a long laser light pointer such as the ones used in lectures, with a sheathe made of stone, worked under Idol Theory.

However, there was still something of a feeling of unease in the back of her mind. Not even counting her Mother, the world was filled with people who seemed to be in the business of distorting and even hiding the truth. She couldn't really rely on her wits all the time to get past the most scummy liars, so what could she do to deal with them? Or for that matter, what if she ever ran into her Mother again and didn't wish to let her get away again without answering some questions? She once again poured over her old books of mythological legend, and became infatuated with the legend of Fragarach, the blade forged by the Gods said to be capable of forcing a person to speak the truth while it was pointed at their throat. She managed to recreate this effect by looking to the closest thing to God-made: Nature. Blades of grass. Icicles broken off from the roof. So long as the natural thing was created by nature, and had a thin but long form with a 'point' on the end, it could work according to Idol Theory, and was less dangerous than carrying around a bladed weapon too.

Her flat was often visited by people in need, as the previous owner was apparently a Detective of some kind. Feeling bad for them, Erin agreed to take on their cases, and while some burned her, she eventually decided to just embrace her status as a Private Investigator and even advertised the flat as her office. At least it pays the bills. She still has no friends, and the loneliness continues to haunt her every day. That said, she tends to wind up getting involved in matters that are far more serious or even dangerous than she bargained for, leading to her realizing her luck must be quite bad. What would be in store for this fledgling Magician-Detective? That is, when she's actually in her office/flat, and not visiting Caernarfon to help with the farming again.



RANK: None
Primiceriatus999: "The last and least expected shall lead them."

This name and even the number symbolizes the vows and oath she took upon her soul to rise up and be the leader that will guide others through disaster and darkness in the absence of other leaders or heroes. Tired of seeing nobody come to the aid of those in need, she decided to embody the last hope those people require. The word stands for guidance and leadership. The 999 indicates that she is last in the line of those giving guidance and leadership.

Radiant Sword of the Ruler:
Description: Invokes the shared Celtic and Brythonic Legend of a magical Sword that selected and/or identified the wielder as the leader of the land from legends found throughout the British Isles. The Sword in the Stone was the Arthurian blade which when drawn would identify the wielder as the King. The magical Excalibur, known to Welsh legends as Caledfwlch, was capable of blinding the King's enemies with its radiance. A similar Irish legend speaks of the Claíomh Solais, or "Sword of Light" possessed by Nuada Airgetlám, the first King of the Tuatha Dé Danann in Ireland, which shone with unmatched brilliance and some have interpreted it as even being capable of slaying Gods.

The spell is performed by invoking her magic name and then drawing the symbolic item from a sheathe made from stone under certain conditions (see below) and pointing it up to the heavens. Upon activation, the light produced by the pointer will warp and twist in all directions around Erin, similar to the light given off by a flash-producing weapon. The Ruler, or Leader, symbolizes one who guides others. Therefore, it is only when Erin rises up and invokes her magic name for the sake of embodying the concept when all other hope is lost that this spell can be activated. The symbolic item is a long laser pointer which produces a beam of light from its tip, which is housed inside a sheathe made of stone. As it lacks an edge, this satisfies her vow to never use magic to cause harm.

Effect: Bathes the area in a warming, heavenly light which affects those within range except Erin herself. To those designated as friends, allies, family, and those in need, the light gives them courage, gives them a boost to their abilities (Effectively giving them the energy to operate at 125% effectiveness and efficiency while active), and allows them to see through illusions. To those designated as enemies, the light is blinding to them instead.

Conditions :The Spell only works if the symbolic item is drawn from 'stone'.  Erin must invoke her magic name loudly before drawing the object from its stone sheathe, which may only be done in a desperate situation in which she is the only one left who can stand up and be the leader.

Limitations:
-No offensive capabilities whatsoever.

-The range of the spell's effects are limited to that of 50 meters.

-She cannot use any other spells or abilities while this one is active.

-This spell tires her out, and after using it, she requires a long rest before being able to use it again.

-Erin herself is not given any boosts.

-The spell requires intense concentration, and must be continuously maintained in order for its effects to remain.

Fragarach: The Answerer
Description: Invokes a specific interpretation of the legendary Irish mythological weapon known as the Fragarach, The Answerer, or even The Retaliator via a symbolic item. It was forged by the Gods and used by numerous Irish mythological figures such as Manannan mac Lir, Lugh Lamfada, Cúchulainn, and Conn Cétchathach. With Fragarach at a person's throat, they were said to be incapable of moving or telling lies. Other legends have claimed it to place the wind at the wielder's command and could cleave through any wall or shield in its path, plus deliver wounds that could not be healed.

The symbolic item is a 'blade forged by the gods', which in keeping with her magic name and vow to never use magic to harm others, is any natural 'blade' produced by Mother Nature, often seen and interpretted as a Goddess, such as a blade of grass, or an icicle hanging from a roof, that is incapable of inflicting damage to another person. At least not without a lot of deliberate effort, which would break her vows anyway.
Effect: Compel a target to speak the truth so long as the blade remains pointed at their throat, and keeps them unable to move until answering a question asked by the wielder with the truth.

Conditions: The "blade" must be supplemented from a "blade made by nature, or God". Therefore only things in a blade-like form created by nature like a blade of grass, or a broken-off icicle hanging from a rooftop would suffice.
Limitations:
-The symbolic item must be pointed at the target's throat at point blank range in order for the spell to activate.

-No offensive properties whatsoever.

-Once freed from the effects, nothing is stopping the target from retaliating against Erin.

-Counterspells can allow one to resist or even cancel out the compelling effects of Fragarach depending on their strength. Obviously a far more powerful being or magician would have an easier time escaping this with the right spells or magical items.

-It is not possible to create an endless loop of Point To Throat > Ask Question > Point To Throat Again. A cooldown time of at least one post is required before usage again.

OTHER ABILITIES:
Master of Disguise
Given how easily she can blend in, it's no surprise that Erin can dress to fit many roles to make it all the more believable. If something isn't in her wardrobe, then she'll do her best to find any spares lying around on-site.
Escape Route
Is there a way out? Chances are, our young detective already figured them all out the moment she stepped into a room.
Tactician
When it comes time for her to stand up and take on the mantle of a leader, her ability to plan and organize skyrockets, so when she suddenly seems far more focused and commanding than usual, you'd better listen. This however does not put her on par with a tactician or strategist who has had years of study and experience in the field, so an outright competition would favour the more learned and experienced side.
Negotiator
Conflict just isn't within her nature. She'll do her best to talk any would-be opponents out of fighting, and make them realize the error of their ways. Or she may try to settle disputes going on between other people. Either way, her way with words might be considered having a silver tongue if she were more dishonest with them.
Critical Thinker
Liars beware! She has an uncanny ability to see through lies and other shady business, so don't think you've gotten away with telling her a bogus story just because she pretends to believe it. Chances are, she might be playing along in order to get more information on you or your activities.
Eye for Detail
A must-have for any detective or investigator, she's capable of picking up details that others may not easily find, see, or even otherwise consider worthy of note.
Cooking
Having lived alone and being forced to take care of herself, she had to learn the hard way how to prepare food. She is by no means a chef, but she does know how to make a few things, and with the help of recipes, her menu increases in size.



CHARACTER THEME:



PLAYER'S NAME: Erin Lightheart
CHATANGO NAME: Lemouri
RATING: M
FACE CLAIM: Lorna from Mabinogi
OTHER CHARACTERS: None
MISC. INFORMATION: None

Greetings,

now then it is time for Erin-chan’s evaluation.
Usually the evaluation, especially for Magicians, is a tough and long process, filled with stages of fixing, correction, questioning the very roots of the character. There picking apart even the smallest of details, is something not too uncommon. We even had rage quitters on that, since they weren’t able to keep up to the harshness of this process, but that is how things usually go. So please feel warned about the utter destruction that may await you over the course of this long and gruesome process.

…

Oh well.


In the end I need to admit that this is the best outcome possible. With the many Magician profiles I have seen so far, I would go as far as to consider this a role model for future profiles. It has a neat concepts, the spells are exactly how Idol Theory should be and in general, it’s good.

Now go and have fun~☆