User blog:Holokami/Character Sheet: Barbara McCarthy

"Um, y-you have a lot of Theora's books. Are you a, fan?"

- Barbara to Victoria on her first visit to her mansion

Victoria Charters is secretly one of the Elite Seven, and a Shepherd Informant. She's a shy girl that gets nervous with attention and suffers badly from stage fright. She prefers to stay anonymous; sending the information from her precognitive and extrasensory visions to the Shepherds via secure text. Only Lumi, Eadda, and Marcella known of Barbara's identity.

Appearance
Barbara has long brown hair and brown eyes. She wears nice yet simply clothing, and equally simple frames for her glasses. She can often be seen holding a book or her phone.

Personality
Barbara is a very ordinary girl with extraordinary powers. She’s a very relaxing and shy girl and her gentle and sweet charm has a disarming effect. Barbara isn’t very good at talking to people she doesn’t know, and suffers badly from stage fright, causing her to be especially nervous speaking with people of authority and power, or when she has lots of attention on her. This is why she sends information of her visions to the Shepherds through her phone, staying anonymous.

She’s a very unassuming and humble girl. She never boasts about her powers or position, and never uses either for her own benefit, she never tells anybody in fact. She keeps the fact she’s a Shepherd Informant and Elite Seven so under raps, that not even her closest friends know. Even when Barbara met Victoria, Victoria didn’t have a clue she was speaking to “the Oracle”. Barbara refuses to get involved with fights, being a peaceful person, and partially because she’s scared of fighting.

Barbara is mature and wise beyond her years, surprising most who really get talking with her. She can come across as though she’s in her twenties, with wisdom and insight of a person who has lived for hundreds of years. This is due to not only her power, but because she was brought up by her grandparents. Her friends often call her “old lady” or “granny” to tease and annoy her. She’s a very forgiving person; even when she was bullied in early high school, she forgave the bullies after they stopped. Even though she doesn’t have any power or presence, her personality can sometimes be powerful enough to create a difference.

Barbara uses her precognitive visions as a source for her stories.

Background
When Barbara's mother found out she was pregnant, her father ran away, not wanting to raise a child or deal with the difficulties of being a parent; their relationship was never stable to begin with. However, Barbara's mother suffered from a condition she and the doctors didn't know about, and it was a condition that killed her hours after giving birth to Barbara. Her mother gave her the name Barbara after her grandmother.

Barbara's grandparents, on her mother's side, took her in and raised her with the help of her uncle, aunt, and later her older cousin. It was difficult at first, but as Barbara got older, things became easier. Because of her rather unusual upbringing, she fell into a social shell around others, becoming very shy.

Barbara was born with her powers. She's lived with visions of the future all her life, and for most of it, without even realizing what they were, or even that it wasn't normal to see them. In fact, it lead to her coming up with some fascinating ideas for stories. She only realized she was a psychic after her uncle and aunt informed her that she was one, but Barbara had become so used to it that even knowing she was different didn't cause her to change.

She kept writing her stories, and living a normal life. Until Eadda Cayce and Marcella Beaumont came knocking at her door when Barbara was thirteen. They were there in an attempt to recruit her as a Shepherd Informant, as she was an amazingly powerful "clairic" and "cognitic" as they put it. Marcella was being quite pushy with Barbara, and she fully hid in her shyness, and locked herself in her room away from them. Eadda scolded Marcella for it, and after Barbara had calmed down, Eadda had a one-to-one with her. Marcella, on the other hand, was telling her grandparents, uncle and aunt all about the Psychic School Islands, and the opportunities it would bring, as well as the Shepherds.

Barbara is the sort that gets very nervous when faced with a great change in her life, and what just happened made her panic quite a bit. Eadda did manage to calm her, and the two even starting chatting. Barbara, her grandparents, uncle and aunt all thought about it for the next week, and all said that she should go, after hearing what Marcella had to say. But, her grandparents said they would only let her go if they could go with her. Marcella very willingly agreed. Barbara also agreed to help the Shepherds after another chat with Eadda.

This was a huge change for Barbara, and all through moving to the islands, and settling on the islands, she was very nervous. Eadda told Marcella that Barbara was the sort that would be incredibly uncomfortable in the middle of the action, and she was given a mobile to text information of any visions she has relating to the Shepherds' work, telling her not to push herself at first. Barbara's grandparents were very thankful and pleased at how helpful and gentle they were being with Barbara. And Barbara was almost amazed at how "simple" her work was, and actually got into it quicker than hoped for.

When Barbara was fifteen, and settled on the islands, her friends from school heard about an open garden tea party at the largest park on the islands. Barbara, after hearing there would be cake and biscuits, agreed to go with them. Barbara found it quite fun, and they chose a seat close to the edge of the event, under some shade to sit at. About thirty minutes into the party, the one and only Victoria arrived, but all the seats were taken. Barbara overheard her complaining about some trouble that caused her to be late. Victoria noticed the free seat at Barbara and friends' table, and asked her (as the others were getting food from the cake and biscuit buffet) if she could sit there. Barbara very nervously said "okay", and so Victoria sat.

There was some very awkward silence for a bit, until Victoria complained about the heat that day. Barbara simply replied "it is quite warm..." From there, somehow, a conversation sparked between the two, until Barbara's friends returned. They were almost shocked that one of the Elite Seven was at their table (well, there are technically two of the Elite Seven, but not even Victoria knew about Barbara), and quickly threw questions. Victoria went on a bit about her troubles, and noticed that Barbara went quiet again, and back into reading her book.

Victoria would have usually scolded a person for being so rude as to devout their attention to reading when company that was talking to them was about, but she realized Barbara wasn't even reading, just making it look like she was to hide the nerves she still had. Victoria though, noticed the book she was reading- a fantasy novel. Victoria was a fan of that author, and asked Barbara about it. Barbara spoke with such ease about her opinions on the book and author, it was like she was a different person. She never once lost the gentle tone to her voice though.

Victoria, finding some fascination in Barbara, invited her around to her mansion to talk some more. Barbara shyly agreed with the support of her friends. Victoria felt relaxed speaking with Barbara, her words so gentle and thoughtful. There was just something about that girl, and plain, ordinary girl.

When Barbara arrived the next week at Victoria's mansion, she was in awe at it, having never seen one in person. Victoria, almost excitedly, showed(-off) her collection (her private library) to Barbara, and let her look around. Barbara was once again in awe, but noticed a particular author on the bookshelves; Theora. Victoria noticed Barbara's attention to it, and started speaking about her. Saying that she was a completely underrated and fantastic author- her way with words, her wondrous descriptions, her ability to completely pull you into the story and immerse you in the settings... She was a confident and brilliant writer.

Barbara asked her what she thought Theora would be like if she met her. Victoria said she must have to be a confident, brilliant person, among other things. Barbara immediately felt a little upset, but also relieved that her cover wouldn't be blown.

Barbara visited Victoria a few times over the next couple of months. She told her all about her powers, as well as her past over the course of her visits. When the subject of Barbara's parent was brought up, Victoria, as a person with everything, felt for Barbara, and gave her an embarrassing but comforting hug. A month later still, and Barbara eventually revealed to Victoria who she was; "The Oracle" of the Elite Seven and the Shepherds, and the author Theora. Victoria was shocked that this unassuming girl was the Oracle and Theora to boot. From a meeting almost out of nowhere, Barbara and Victoria became unlikely friends, and ones that cherished their unlikely friendship. Barbara often stays overnight at Victoria's just reading and writing, and sometimes chatting.

Powers

 * Precognition - Barbara has incredibly powerful precognitive abilities- even Eadda acknowledges her as an exceptional human. Barbara's can yet control or "guide" what her visions show her, but the visions she does get are crystal clear, coherent, lengthy and detailed. Barbara can receive visions at any time, but her powers are so potent, she receives visions every time her eyes are closed- even for the single instant of a blink.
 * Barbara has never had a dream at all in her entire life, only ever seeing the future.


 * Extrasensory Perception - Barbara possess esp with clarity that rivals her precognition. She doesn't possess Claircognizance or Clairometry however.


 * Enhanced Memory - Along with the incredible clarity of her precognition and esp, she has a superior memory to help.

Trivia

 * Barbara publishes her stories under the name of "Theora", a Greek name which means "(the) Watcher". It comes from shortening "The Oracle" down (The Oracle > The Ora > Theora).
 * Kijicia usually teases Barbara about her and Victoria's relationship being more than just friends, to which the shy Barbara blushes and hides behind a book. Kijicia seems to just enjoy teasing her, knowing full well it isn't true.

Themes
[WIP]