Name: Karilyna Kawahara
Age: 11
School Year: First Year
House: Thunderbird
Race: Human
Blood Status: Wizard-born
Appearance:

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Height: 4'10"
Weight: 76 lbs.
Karilyna has medium-length hair that is a deep jet-black. She has huge, doe-like brown eyes that are the most obvious feature on her oval-like face. They seem to change to a deep black in dark places. She has a very pale complexion unlike most Asians. Petite (for Americans) with an especially slender frame, she looks much younger than her 13 years. If she were to live in Asia, she would likely be average-sized.
Faceclaim: Gyu Ri Kim

Personality:

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Karilyna is generally outgoing, although she tends to retreat into her shell when hurt, nervous, or sad. To a random person, she would probably be your typical extroverted leader. She cares deeply about others but can hold a serious grudge if you upset her. Playful smile always on her lips, she can't help but joke around with people she is comfortable with.
She is definitely not selfish or spoiled, which is contrary to the behavior upbringing the snobby couple who adopted her. In fact, Karilyna is probably one of the kindest people you will meet, always ready to share the wealth that she does not want.

History:

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Enmei and Akiko Kawahara were the perfect couple. Both purebloods, they had attended Mahuotokoro together. Growing up along side each other forged an unbreakable bond between the two. Not many years after the pair graduated from the wizarding school, they were married. Although the marriage was rough due to Enmei's parents disapproving of Akiko's heritage--her family was a pureblood line, but one of her recent ancestors had become enamored with Dark Magic and brought derision upon the entire family--they were happy.

Enmei and Akiko only had one child. Born on July 16, 2008, Karilyna Aiko Kawahara was the light of the couple's life. Creamy pale skin accentuated her mother's long-lashed eyes and her father's big smile. The two vowed not to have more children, spoiling the only daughter they had. Both parents being from very wealthy wizarding families, they had more money they could ever spend in Gringotts.

And then it came. A terrible, unknown virus that killed instantly sparked inside of both Karilyna's parents. One day the two were fine, and the next, they were gone. The then-two-year-old was devastated, left crying on the plush carpet of her room for almost two days, helpless. Sleepless days and nights later, the Japanese Ministry of Magic tore through the house, having heard about the strange incident. To this day, it is unknown what killed Karilyna's parents.

According to her parents' hastily written will, they had known about their impending death and wished for their daughter to move to America, safe from _____________(that part had been scratched out). Fast forward about two years. Karilyna is living uncomfortably in a new home. She had been adopted by another pureblood couple who lived in the arid city of Phoenix, Arizona. They showered her with wealth and did their best, but there was always a hole in the girl's life. No matter how much they provided with her, the little girl knew there was something missing. Even though she was given much, Karilyna chose to own only a few outfits and broomstick. Longing to learn Quidditch but not trusting her own abilities, the girl would sometimes try the broom in her own room but traveled on foot. Often times, she would go to her friends' houses after school, trying to appease her step-parents apparent dislike of her.

Strangely though, her upbringing did nothing to dampen Karilyna's spirits. At school, she was always kind, sharing what she didn't need and making friends with everyone. Her tragic past had shown her that things like this really did happen. The girl used her history to bridge the gap between her and others. Her naturally kind disposition made the girl popular at school, and she easily gathered a close friend group.

Just as she turned 11, Karilyna was told she was to attend Ilvermorny. Sent off halfway across the country by her adopted parents, whom she now suspected didn't want her, the orphaned girl blundered into a new life. She had arrived with the knowledge that it was a boarding school, but soon figured out it was a wizarding school. Having grown up around magic her entire life, it wasn't a revelation to Karilyna. It did, however, bring out the deep pain the girl had hidden away carefully following her parents' deaths.

Karilyna was sorted into the Thunderbird house. After learning about the traits of each house, the girl was torn. Her sense of adventure, fairness, and extroverted nature helped her to fit in, although many of her other strong traits placed her into other houses. But, having had her house chosen for her, the girl let go and tried to enjoy her time at Ilvermorny. As her stepmother would say, "Just let go, child." 

Approved

Nice job.

As a pureblood with well-off parents, well... adoptive parents and former parents... your presence is somewhat unusual here in this cultural exchange. Moreover, you are here and you are here for a reason. Your contact with muggles and these part muggles (muggle-borns and half-bloods) is pretty unusual even in your school. It is as if just about every mudblood and first gen wizard in your school is involved in these things. Eww. Still, you have a job to do. A part to play. More information will be sent to you via owl at a later time regarding this.

Stats [41]:
Stamina // 8
Evasion // 5
Strength // 1
Wisdom // 9
Arcane Power // 9
Accuracy // 9

Ability 1/2: Fearless

Ability 2/2: Terrible Presence

Note: +1 stat point due to Quidditch victory

Approved

Update Request: 15 May 2021
for: Karilyna Kawahara [x]

5/18

Stats Update:
Stat additions from graduation to third year (Thora): +2 evasion; +2 wisdom, +1 accuracy
Stat addition from Quidditch victory [x] (Thora): +1 arcane power

New stats: 8Sta | 7Eva | 1Str | 11Wis | 10Arc | 10Acc
↳ total = 47 (equal to Thora's stat count minus 2 from statistically relevant)

Choosing Function:
Is your character a Broom Racer? No.
Is your character a Quidditch Player? No.
Is your character a Duelist? Yes.

trunk

statistics
9sta・10eva・1str・11wis・10arc・12acc
=↳ +3 from Thora's Quidditch wins

abilities
y1. fearless

Reducio

Karilyna did not appear to amount to much. Barely four feet and five inches tall, her stature alone was enough to get her overlooked. Her general dislike of learning anything that did not involve action often resulted in an ignorant front, and as a result, assignments from tedious subjects in her eyes--especially Potions--were often returned with a less-than-passing grade. Such a sight would probably have brought a wave of shame to many, but to the young girl, it didn't matter much.

One wouldn't have to look far to see that Karilyna was practically made for Thunderbird. Filled with wanderlust and an insatiable curiosity, it was hard for even her to imagine herself anywhere else. But she went farther--much farther--than the stereotypes labeled her. While many belonging to her same house were typically satisfied with adventure, she was more than that. Karilyna was brave, confident, daring--and often reckless. She was fearless.

Strangely enough, the small child's fearlessness was more of a developed skill than a natural trait. Her life had been nothing buttrial after trial, and more pain than someone her age should've experienced. It would've been perfectly reasonable, perfectly rational, for her to be paranoid--surely people could've understood a deep distrust, a fear of danger, or a desire to run from anything that could result in any sort of hurt. And honestly, at times, it was hard for Karilyna to fight down such feelings, as there was no way she could live unaffected by her past. But years of carefully tucking away emotions and continuing on with a carefully mischievous smile on her face had paid off. It was hard to faze her.

Orphaned at the age of two, she'd ended up living in America for most of her life, hence her attending Ilvermorny rather than Mahoutokoro, which would've been the default for witches in Japan, where she'd been born. But the forced move across the ocean had been more than a grand adventure, or a beginning of a journey for the young Karilyna. It had meant being forever separated from the country she'd only learned to call home, instead having to fend for herself in a place where she did not know the language and had no relatives. It had been a huge task to ask of a toddler, and just plain scary, but even at the age of two, she'd faced it with a bright smile and the attitude of one undaunted.

Then came her adoptive parents forcing her to attend Muggle school. Now a little older and quite aware of her wizarding background, Karilyna understood perfectly what it meant. It meant being bullied for a still-prevalent accent. It meant control to keep from doing or saying anything that might reveal wizardry in any way--an immense amount of control that she lacked. It meant being tossed into a culture she was unfamiliar with, and still being expected to keep up with the bigger, smarter kids who'd already been in school for a few years. When finally, she was sent off to her first day of school, Muggle façade complete and immaculate, she went. That wasn't to say she liked it, for there was some serious resentment the girl still harbored about the fact, but she simply would not back down. Fear was something that had to be faced.

While intrepid, Karilyna had never been an exceptionally bright child. Both factors likely contributed to the fact that she never failed to get herself into scrapes. Whether it was insolence or a snide remark to a sensitive classmate, a scraped up cheek from a senseless careening down a hill on a bike, or a black eye from sidewalk scuffles, she seemed to always be somehow injured--a fact that never ceased to annoy her adoptive parents. Although the girl herself couldn't deny that it hurt sometimes, she'd learned to deal with the pain, and not to fear it.

It wasn't always just a lack of logic that drove her to such lengths, though. Beneath the stupid bravery laid an intense loyalty, and while she was physically weak and tiny, she would do whatever she could to protect her friends--she'd take a concussion, two black eyes, broken bones, anything. So, due to constant efforts to make sure that the people she cared for were not hurt, her fearlessness would be made quite apparent--like scrambling up trees to help out friends, only to fall out herself. Because after all, she couldn't just go about her life. She had to show the world that Karilyna Kawahara was fearless.

Of course, she had not simply moved on from a rocky early childhood unaffected, but while those events could've very well broken her, Karilyna let them build her. To make her stronger. Sure, there would be hard times, and she of all people could understand that life wasn't easy, but her past experiences had only made her bolder. She would command her fears, not give in. She would face them head on.

y2. terrible presence

Reducio

Looks could be awfully deceiving. At the surface, Karilyna was a small girl with rather large brown eyes, and appeared thoroughly American in accent and mannerisms. (Of course, she'd been born in Japan, but nine years of living in America had certainly had its effect.) If one knew her well, they'd know that she was an adventurer, as well as more than happy to put classes and grades on the back burner for something more exciting. Personality-wise, the raven-haired girl was friendly, loyal, and a good friend--if one didn't mind her accidental bluntness. But through it all, there was a very different presence. Something that seemed wrong. It was dark, chilling, and almost sinister.

Now, Karilyna was not at all evil. Though she was often outspoken and sometimes rude, there was nothing inherently malevolent about her. The darkness was hard to place, almost like an ever-changing shadow that was simply there. Even though it had never been very obvious--not even to Karilyna herself--it had always been about her. But nobody had ever called it out.

It'd all begun--like pretty much every other remotely major event in her life--when she'd been orphaned. Though she had been almost impossibly cheerful about the whole situation, there seemed to always be a monster trying to break free from within. At a young age, loneliness had been a prevalent issue for Karilyna. Being alone only brought reality crashing down on her, slowly untying the bonds that kept all the emotions bottled up inside. It made her angry and fearful at the same time, yet craving revenge on whatever force had just about robbed her of a proper childhood. A lot of times, there would be a slight shift in mood. Literally. The darkness would ultimately prevail, even if it was for just a moment, and something about her simply wouldn't feel right.

There had been plenty of things in the girl's life about which she didn't understand. But it was in the little misfortunate happenings where you could see at least part of the reason behind it. It had always appeared to Karilyna that people liked her and wanted to become her friend, for she'd never had difficulty gathering a group of people she trusted. And in a way, it was true—she was quite the outgoing child, always willing to include people and extend an arm where it was needed. It was hard not to like her. But what she didn't notice was the equal number of people--if not more--that distanced themselves from her, and sometimes even made conscious efforts to do so. Perhaps her charm simply didn't extend that far, or…there was something that didn't exactly seem right about interacting with her.

When people neared her, it was an almost-tangible feeling of something like fear that would hit them, appearing to roll off the Thunderbird. It tended to take people by surprise, and pushed them to give her a wide berth. Children--particularly her equals--would typically feel uncomfortable around her, a dark something settling in the pit of their stomach. A feeling they couldn't put a name to. Some were able to simply ignore this, choosing to enjoy Karilyna's company while conveniently pushing it away, but a few others were quite frankly afraid of the underlying presence. While in Muggle school, she'd seen all of these types of people, yet not understanding why they did what they did. She was bullied by some who chose to cover up their fear with a rude and aggressive front, and saw schoolmates who literally ran away, wanting to avoid contact with her at all costs. It was a shame, really, that this was true, for it was all a result of what she was keeping to herself.

See, of course Karilyna disliked the fact that people would choose to avoid her, or that there always seemed a tiger wanting to break loose in the loss and hurt she hid away in the back of her mind, even from herself, but the truth was, it was there. True, it was irritating, but she could be strong. She had to be.

y3. spell spread

Reducio

There was absolutely no question at all that Karilyna Kawahara had always possessed a flair for the dramatic - and to an almost hazardous extent, at that. Whether it was hyperbole in speech, drama in expression, or exaggeration in, well, everything, she wore the trait with pride and as such, it ought to be no surprise. As a child, perhaps this had been her way of generating grandeur, the only way she could inflate her image just enough so that it was somewhat significant, not merely one of the tiny child she was. Perhaps this was one of the only ways she'd found herself able to draw attention to herself, being the naughty little attention-hungry child she was, or stand out from the crowd rather than be lost within it, hidden from view by the taller kids, the smarter kids, the more athletic kids, the more talented kids.

And it most certainly had been. Little primary-school Karilyna would be far too oblivious to realize even her own motives in being excessively dramatic, but any discerning soul would be able to see through the weak façade, the falsely exaggerated front she often put on to hide her insecurities. But as time passed, drama was no longer just something she pasted atop her true self. As she grew older, time flying by, it had merged with the rest of her character, morphing and settling to become one of the most prominent parts of it.

That pattern, though, had seemed to have broken temporarily with dueling; she had focused for some time on increasing the sheer power of her spell, leaving her with little time to add flourishes and whatnot. After all, drama was not the goal, but rather spellcasting - and for once, she didn't exactly mind. The little Thunderbird had been a duelist for barely a year, and yet she had already proved herself to be truly exceptional, quickly earning a name in Ilvermorny's world of dueling. Her first duel, a part of the previous year's Chess Combat, had had her under considerably high pressure as she'd been her team's queen, but still, she had performed quite well, coming away completely unscathed and having landed a significant number of her own spells.

She'd returned to Ilvermorny as a second year the following September, itching to join her school's dueling program with unusual fervor. Surprisingly, her aspiration had always been to play Quidditch as seeker, as she was of the typical build and had always loved to fly, but that had changed the moment she began to duel, the moment the adrenaline began rushing through her as she clutched her wand, ready to shoot off her first spell. So, the day she officially earned the label of duelist, she had began to train like she never had before. She threw herself into it, finally having found a passion.

Such an experience had changed her somewhat; although she had by no means lost her love of fun - in fact, it'd probably intensified - nor had her spontaneous personality diminished, Karilyna suddenly became someone who sought after spell-related learning. See, she was a little picky like that: although she still found a vast majority of her schooling pointless and mundane, she'd always immediately perk up when a spell of any sort, from simple charms to the most impressive hexes, were mentioned. After all, if she was to be a good duelist, she needed as many spells under her belt as she could get. Further, a good portion of her free time was converted to practice time, the girl wanting to put forth extra effort to make sure she could maintain consistency and was always sharp. And lastly of all, she made a point to attend every single duel that occurred, as watching others - particularly the more experienced duelists - duel tended to offer her greater insight on how to improve.

Although Karilyna was inclined to consider herself brilliant already, each duel brought a new sense of knowledge that there was more to be learned. Most of all, she was impressed by the advanced spells older students were capable of, their effects dazzling the young girl. But that all changed the first time she watched as a duelist managed to hit two opponents with a single spell, the light diverging perfectly and the effects doubled. That- that was possible? Karilyna's brown eyes had grown wide, sparkling with anticipation, and from that moment on, she knew: she had to figure out how to master such a skill. Not only was it impressive, but it was a fancy little bit of additional flair, something she knew would bring her typical drama to the dueling stage.

And try she certainly did, experimenting with her formerly self-named signature spell, Flipendo. In itself, it was a simple little spell, and one which first years should've been capable of. Nothing about it was inherently difficult nor impressive, but she'd cast it repeatedly in her Chess Combat duel, inadvertently turning it into her signature. She first attempted to adjust the incantation and wand movement, respectively, which turned out to be an absolutely terrible idea. Obviously, she hadn't had the brains to remember that both aspects of spellcasting had to be just perfect to guarantee a perfect cast, and that failing to recognize this would cause negative results. And of course, the process involved several backfires as well, all of which left a dazed - but not discouraged - Karilyna wondering why she hadn't had the foresight to choose a less damaging spell.

She turned next to the mental aspect of spellcasting, changing her degree of focus (also a stupid idea) and later trying to diverge her focus to match the spell, neither of which granted her the desired effect. It was funny, the things Karilyna thought herself capable of which weren't at all realistic. Disappointment had finally began to set in, though the naturally optimistic girl would attempt to fight it off… until one day, it finally worked. She wasn't sure what exactly had done the trick, as it'd mostly been a product of her channeling her frustration into a laser-focused spell with all the might she could muster (a surprisingly large amount, given her stature), but whatever the case, she'd finally done it. The fact that it added a considerable amount of pizzazz to her spells was a huge bonus as well, the additional dramatic factor immediately appealing to the girl. It did take several tries more for her to gain any degree of consistency, as the feat surely came at the cost of ease and the increased chance of disaster, but the fact didn't faze her.

Of course, the truth was that she was still inexperienced and in need of practice, despite her tendency to deny it, but the fact that she'd mastered such a skill had impressed even her, especially given how quickly she'd caught on. She was wise enough to understand that she would have to continue working towards perfection, but that was something she had long since accepted. And if that was the cost to becoming exceptional, to being an undeniably standout duelist, she would willingly endure the grind.

y4. perfectionist

Reducio

Never in her life had Karilyna considered herself perfect. Undoubtedly, self-esteem had never been an issue and in fact, she tended to be quite the proud little girl, but perfect had always been off of her radar, a state that was simply unattainable. Her grades had always been average, her athletic ability mediocre and artistic capability on slightly less so, and she'd always settled for being normal. Sure, she would try in vain to make herself something of a standout with the chaotic, vibrant personality she'd built up over time, but never had she particularly tried to be exceptional - hey, not everyone got to be special. She fared better at Ilvermorny, interest in some of the subjects spurring her to make uncharacteristically large efforts, but still, perfection was never in reach, nor was it a goal of hers.

But then she began to duel, and she quickly realized - in her very first duel, even - that simply being okay, being mediocre, wouldn't cut it. To cross over from decent to excellent required accuracy, consistency, and most of all, perfection. Of course, everyone made mistakes from time to time, although the frequency lessened with experience, but Karilyna knew achieving perfection would be a crucial step in mastering her art and passion. It'd also reduce the possibility of a spell backfiring, which, as she knew from more experience than she'd like to admit, was quite painful, especially given the sheer force she tended to channel into each spell. And so, she practiced.

For one of the first times, quality was substituted for quantity. In each practice session, whether alone or in the presence of others, the girl had finally curbed her habit of attempting to shoot off as many spells as she was capable of in quick succession, perpetually locked in an imaginary, single-person competition of speed. Such a game was for the young and inexperienced; Karilyna knew now that speed - that was, in terms of spellcasting alone - was not the ultimate goal. Rather, she shifted her focus to the incantation and wand movements, intent on clarity in every syllable and preciseness in every swish, in every little flourish.

She even began applying her efforts to every opportunity possible, from individual dueling practice to working on the spells she'd learnt in class to ensure that her arsenal was the most formidable she could make it. It was a time-consuming and arduous process, as there was a need to balance reaction time and spell accuracy, but she doggedly worked towards her goal, unwilling to let up until she achieved it.

So here she was, months later: a duelist of one year and considerably seasoned for a student her age. Hours upon hours of practice had brought improvement in all aspects, from agility, to concentration, to accuracy, and most of all, to her ability to successfully cast spells. Now, rarely did her spells ever backfire, and even if they missed her target, her wand would react in recognition of success. Occasionally, there would be a slipup - typically brought about by distraction, as she'd never really been one easily unnerved - but still, she was quite satisfied with how far she'd come. She'd never expected complete perfection from herself, anyway.

See, at the end of the day, perfection was really a distant destination, one at the end of a very, very long - and many would deem it infinite - road. It wasn't realistically attainable, but surely one could get close, and Karilyna was well on her way to doing so in terms of dueling. After all, perfection would never be absolute, and at least for now, each spell was the very best she could make it.

extracurricular
broom racer? no.
quidditch player? no.
duelist? yes.