Stephanie Trafalgar

Name: Stephanie Melisande Trafalgar
Age: 14
Race: Galdor
Place of Origin: Muffey and Vienda

Backstory:

One would think that Dane Trafalgar and his wife Mikayla had the perfect life. He was a high-ranking politician and political advisor to the king; she was a socialite who set many of the fashion trends in galdori society. They divided their time between their sprawling estate in Muffey and their mansion close to the palace in Vienda. They loved to entertain and throw parties, and they had many friends. In fact, they had everything a galdori couple could wish for ... except a child.

Oh, they tried to have one ... they tried really hard ... sometimes several times a day when their schedules permitted. But nothing happened. After nearly twenty years, when Mikayla was nearing the end of her reproductive cycle, they gave up. It looked like their dream of sharing their lives with a child of their own would never come true.

And, of course, when they stopped trying, that's when it happened: Dane was fifty and Mikayla forty-eight when she discovered she was pregnant. Nine months later, after a harrowing three days of labor, Mikayla gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. They named her Stephanie Melisande.

Unlike most galdori parents, the Trafalgars doted on their only child, perhaps because they had waited so long for her. Little Stephanie was spoiled completely rotten and treated like a little princess. She had an entire suite of rooms to herself in both of the Trafalgars' residences, and servants to take care of her every need. Her mother dressed her in beautiful clothes, which occasionally set trends for children's fashions. She had shoes and hats to match every outfit, and her hair was always exquisitely styled. She developed an interest in clothes and shoes at a very early age, her initial curiosity nourished and encouraged by her fashionable mother.

Mikayla, a former actress and singer, was a staunch supporter of the theatrical arts. Stephanie was exposed to music even in the womb, so it was no wonder she started singing before she could talk. Her voice was pure, clear, and entrancing. At the age of two, she had her first role in a musical, although she didn't sing. All she had to do was cry for her mama, and she did it so convincingly, she was cast in other plays.

When she was four, she had her first singing role. At six, she starred in her first musical, written by a playwright and musician commissioned and financed completely by her mother. The show was a hit. Acting came very natural to the child, as did singing. She also had a knack for memorization, making it very easy for her to learn lines.

Until she was ten, the theatre was basically her life. Known as “the little girl with the big voice,” she became very popular with the fashionable theatre-going crowd. When she wasn't acting, taking voice lessons, or entertaining at fancy parties, she was usually hanging about helping out where she could. She was a friendly, charming child, although quite flighty and devoid of common sense.

The love of her life was opera. She hung around the rehearsals doing odd jobs and begging to learn to sing opera. She got tired of everyone telling her that her voice would not be mature enough for opera until she was about fifteen. It would be ages before she turned fifteen! She didn't think that she would ever get there.

When Stephanie was ten, her theatrical career abruptly ended when she was enrolled in Brunnhold to learn magic. It was a very big change for her, and she had trouble adjusting. She hated sharing a room with other girls and her uniform was scratchy and ugly. The food was horrible, not what she was accustomed to at all. And she had no idea how to act around children her own age. She had been surrounded by adults most of her young life.

What she hated most, though, was that some of the meaner kids made fun of her weight. Stephanie was ... well ... fat. Not really fat fat, but definitely on the broader side of chubby. She liked her sweets as much as she liked clothes and shoes, maybe even more. She really hated them teasing her about being the only ten-year-old girl there with “boobs.” Although she was told that they were only “fat boobs” and would go away when she lost weight, that fact did not make her feel any better about herself.

As if she didn't have problems enough, Stephanie found learning magic difficult. Casting spells did not come easy to the girl. Although she found the memorization easy, concentrating on casting a spell was not. She was easily distracted; her mind was always flying in different directions and it was hard to make it stay in one place. The mona weren't inclined to do her bidding when she couldn't even keep her mind on what she was doing. Her low self-esteem didn't help either.

The academic courses were easier, mainly because of her knack for memorization. She especially excelled in music, where she could flaunt her best asset ... her beautiful voice. She kept that voice in shape by constant practice, and she took voice lessons from a private tutor in her spare time. She especially liked singing religious songs. They made her feel good about herself.

Despite her problems, Stephanie made a lot of friends, once she learned how to deal with children her own age. She was a happy, fun-loving, and mischievous child, thinking up fun games for learning magic and always willing to give advice on clothes, shoes, and hairstyles. She was quite obsessed with those three subjects ... especially shoes. She became quite popular among her classmates, and was rarely left alone. Eventually, most of the teasing stopped. After nearly a year at school, her self-confidence soared, and so did her spell-casting abilities.

She forgot all about losing weight. While she never really grew fond of Brunnhold's food, there were a lot of other places to get sustenance. She visited the Stacks quite often, usually accompanied by a large group of friends. The Half-Moon Bakery was her favorite place to buy the sweets that she loved, and she adored Onna Stick, with so much choice she sometimes ordered several items because it was just too hard to pick just one.

By the time she turned thirteen, she was no longer chubby ... she was obese. Her bust line was huge and kids started teasing her again. Her self-esteem plummeted. She had been quite good at casting all the spells she had learned so far, but as her self-worth slowly collapsed, so did her casting ability. Why should the mona obey someone who didn't even think she was worth listening to?

The turning point came when she visited her parents on one of her breaks. They were appalled at how large she had become and didn't even try to hide their disappointment. Stephanie was crushed by their disapproval, and decided she would have to lose weight to make them proud of her again.

Back at Brunnhold, she came up with a plan. She would eat nothing but the school's food and take only small portions of that. Small portions was probably all of that horrible stuff she could handle anyway. When she dropped two dress sizes in a matter of months, she was ecstatic, even though her bust line didn't decrease near as much as her bum. In fact, it hardly decreased at all, and that was the part of herself she hated most.

She cut her portion size even more, until she was basically eating nothing at all. On rare occasions, especially when she went to the Stacks, she binged on the food she bought there. She got so disgusted at herself for that weakness that she would stick her finger down her throat and force herself to throw it up.

The pounds fell off. Soon, the young girl was only skin and bones. She couldn't see it, though. All she could see were her huge breasts, which, if she had ever looked closely at her mother, were actually hereditary. To Stephanie, however, a large bust meant she was still fat.

With very little nutrition, her studies suffered. She found she could not cast even the simplest spell. Even her beautiful voice wasn't the same anymore. She just didn't have the strength to belt out songs the way she once had. She lost interest in clothes, hairstyles, and even her beloved shoes. She hid behind a facade of happiness, but her friends weren't fooled. They knew something was very wrong with her, but they had no idea how to bring the subject up.

One day in class, she fainted. She lied, explaining that she had not been getting enough rest. It happened again less than a week later. The third time she collapsed, she did not get back up.

She was sent back to her parents' estate to recover. She had changed so much, they could hardly believe the girl standing in the doorway was their darling daughter. When she wouldn't touch the food they gave her, they discovered the source of her illness. Her mother told her she would have another musical written for her if she gained at least twenty pounds. With that incentive, Stephanie forced herself to eat again. She accomplished the goal, the musical was written, and she was once again busy with rehearsals. Her self-esteem began to climb again, especially when the boy who was starring opposite her became interested in her as more than just a co-star. They spent a lot of time together, both onstage and off. They held hands, and once he even kissed her on the cheek, which to Stephanie was the epitome of romance. After all, she was barely fourteen.

Shortly after the musical's closing night, she told her parents she was ready to resume her studies. She had been away for six months and hated falling so far behind. As she was now at a normal weight, albeit a bit on the thin side, they let her go, promising that if she kept herself at a healthy weight and caught up with the rest of her class in magic, they would treat her to opera singing lessons as soon as she turned fifteen.

Stephanie has just arrived back at Brunnhold, ready to learn magic with a vengeance so she can have those opera lessons she has dreamed about for so long.

Personality:

Stephanie is winsome and sweet, mischievous, curious, and full of fun. Although by no means stupid, she is flighty and lacks common sense. Because of her inability to fully concentrate, it takes her longer than other kids to learn. Once she does learn, she takes her knowledge as far as she can, sometimes (quite rarely, actually) even surpassing the abilities of her classmates if it is a subject she is genuinely interested in. She still has trouble learning magic, although there are a few spells at which she does excel. She is good at anything involving healing, and is excellent at casting Levitation, simply because she greatly enjoys moving objects around in the air. The more she desires to learn something, the easier it is for her to learn.

She makes friends easily and is quite popular. Whenever Stephanie is around, fun things seem to happen. She has regained a lot of her confidence, although she still has bouts of low self-esteem from time to time, especially when she is teased about her large bust. She hates it, and often binds her breasts with strips of cloth to make them look smaller.

She has a love-hate relationship with food, and sometimes finds it difficult to eat. It gets worse when her confidence is low. She still has a good bit of weight to gain back before she is at a fashionable size.

She has regained her obsession with hairstyles, clothes, and shoes. Shopping is one of her favorite activities. Thanks to her former co-star, she now has a new obsession ... boys. She often tries to flirt with them, but she is just learning how and usually gets it wrong. She can sometimes be a pest, especially with older boys who just think she is silly. To her, romance is about holding hands and being kissed on the cheek. She has never even considered what might happen next.

Description:

When Stephanie grows up, she'll be stunning if she takes after her mother's side and striking if she takes after her father's side. Right now, however, she looks a bit unfinished. Her ice-blue eyes are too large for her face, and her lips are too full. Her nose is not fashionably thin and pointed, but turned up and rather pert.

Her hair is white blonde with the palest hint of strawberry. It is long, thick,and straight. She usually wears it loose in the back, with two tails tied up on the sides. It is a childish look, but it suits her. On special occasions, she wears a more adult style, a double bun shaped like cones. Her take on this style is rather extreme, but it certainly turns heads and gets compliments. She is hoping it might one day set a trend.

She is a bit on the thin side, with a large bust that she abhors. She is always perfectly groomed and manicured. Her clothes and shoes always match.

She prefers her clothing in shades that compliment her coloring: baby blue, aquamarine, pink, sea green, lavender, and so on. She's very good at designing clothing, but she can't sew a stitch. But that's what seamstresses are for. And money. You hire the seamstresses to sew your clothes and then you pay them with your money. How else is it done?

Inventory:

Clothing:

Two “ugly, scratchy” school uniforms
So many outfits her room can hardly hold them all. Her roommates often complain that she takes up their space that belongs to them.
42 pairs of shoes (the meaning of life is shoes, you know)
Jewelry, hats, and hair adornments to match all her outfits

Pets:

A female osta called Whimsy, given to her when she was recovering from her eating disorder. It is still a kitten, and likes to lie across her shoulders like a fur stole. Some people believe that she is indeed a stole until she moves. She goes with Stephanie everywhere.

Career:

Singer/Actress

Beautiful soprano voice
Natural acting skills

Student

Great at memorization
Determination to learn well

Goals:

Stephanie wants to make up the six months she lost while she was ill. She wants to excel in magic and in music. She wants to beat her eating disorder, have fun, make new friends, and improve her voice. She also wants to act in more plays, as she feels better about herself when she is involved in a theatrical production. She also wishes to set fashion trends with her own creations. Most of all, she wants to become a famous soprano when she grows up.