Taylor Astrov

Appearance
Taylor has shoulder-length brown hair that falls in gentle waves. Shorter strands frame her face, the tips ending at about chin level. Her eyes are maple in color with a darker rim edging the irises. Her face is a bit rounded, barely able to reveal her cheekbones. Her lips are on the thin side with a hint of pink to break the tanned coloring of her skin. At 16, she is only 5’1”; shorter than the average person.

With small, nimble, hands, Taylor has a delicate appearance which is only enhanced by the oversized sweater she wears regularly. It is gray in color with sleeves that reach to her fingertips and a bottom hem that stretches to about her mid-thighs and pockets that are sown into the front. Beneath her sweater, she often wears a tank top or v-neck shirt. On her hips rest tattered shorts that barely meet her fingers. However, she wears black tights beneath her shorts, covering any bit of her legs that might have been exposed. On her feet, she wears ankle-high sneakers of a gray and white patterning.

Magical Outfit
Her brown hair becomes varied in length. Most of it is chin length with exception to a small section in the back that stretches down to about mid-thigh. From the center of her hairline sprouts a curving, red, crest of feathers. Her clothes are replaced by a brown, sleeveless, dress. The collar hugs the lower portion of her neck and resembles dark brown feathering which goes down a little past her collarbone. The zig-zagged hem of the dress reaches for her mid-thigh with alternating red and tan cloth continuing further past her knees. These strips are designed much like the tail of a Pidgeotto and leaving the front of her legs partially exposed, left to cover the remaining angle.

For footwear, she has dark purple boots that reach high enough to almost meet with the hem of her dress. From her elbows down, she wears detached sleeves that reach well beyond her fingers. The top portion of these sleeves are brown while the bottom are tan, the two colors separated by a zig-zagged line. At each end dangle two threads, each possessing a trio of brown, tan, and red beads. One of these beads is the Poké Ball.

Background
Taylor is very shy and nervous around people. She wants to please others, to make them happy and to not be judged harshly. However, she can be a klutz, often resulting in stumbles, falls, broken items, spilled liquids, and whatever else. Taylor doesn't mean to be clumsy. Though, she is more likely to mess up when she’s trying too hard to get someone's approval. She's afraid of rejection and doesn't like being alone which will drive her to seek company and acceptance from even those who aren't good for her.

Her history isn't a bad one but it isn't perfect either. Her dad left when she was tiny, leaving her mother to care for her alone. Thankfully, grandparents and an uncle were willing to help where needed, babysitting when her mom had to work or bringing over a cooked meal to enjoy. She became close to her family growing up, always excited to go out and do something with anyone. Even if it was just a stay-home-and-play-games type of day, she was happy with the interaction.

Taylor's grandparents passed away some few years later and her mother went into a depression. Her uncle came around more often, trying to brighten the situation and, alongside medication and therapy, her mom started smiling again. Taylor's real desire to make people happy sprouted at this point, making her cherish each smile the woman did make that much more. However, it drove Taylor to strive greatly for approval. Approval brought smiles and smiles from anyone was always a good thing. Wasn’t it?

Her mother’s depression also amplified her shy and nervous nature. Despite the number of times her family would speak of their pride about her, Taylor couldn't grasp the fact in her mind and strove to make sure she would become something her mother could take pride in. She grew quieter and more fidgety, worried about saying or doing the wrong thing around anyone. People began to ignore Taylor for her silence with only her uncle and a few others trying to strike up a conversation when they saw her.

A fear of judgment wormed its way into the back of her head, leaving her uncomfortable in crowds. She began to desperately want to be brave, starting to think of stupid stunts like sneaking into places she wasn't allowed in or getting into fights with other students. Taylor’s classmates would come up with ideas of ditching school, roaming the graveyard at night, or pulling a prank on the principal. However, she could never work up the right amount of courage to follow along with any sort of plans her classmates made. She couldn’t do anything like that out of fear her mother would hate her.

So, she snatched up a different means to be brave when it was presented to her one day in the form of a Pidgeotto.

When she is transformed, she seems to make a complete 180* in terms of her behavior and thinking. She becomes braver and believes herself capable of anything. Though fighting wasn’t part of her initial knowledge when contracted, she is ready to take on any challenger with the mindset that she can be the victor if she fights hard enough. Her clumsiness vanishes and she becomes immune to negative critique. Additionally, Taylor doesn’t focus so much on pleasing others or seeking for their approval, content to be who she is without the requirement of changing for someone else. She’s loud, happy, and confident in her talents; a different Taylor all together.

There is a childish thinking, a black and white view, that allows for this change in behavior. Like many kids, she grew up watching a handful of cartoon shows featuring superheroes, likable stars, and all-around confident characters with special talents. Everyone liked the superhero, the good guy with fantastic powers. If she developed powers, then she must be the superhero because children were never the villain. She had the abilities, the stylish costume, and even a sidekick! And, what’s more? Said sidekick would give her advice.

Fun Facts

 * 1) She snores.
 * 2) Doodles/scribbles on thighs and forearms with marker.
 * 3) She's terrified of bugs and ghosts (she believes in them).
 * 4) Taylor sleeps with her baby blanket on top of the rest of her covers.
 * 5) Likes using nicknames (or making up her own to fit people) if she knows them.
 * 6) Instantly responds to a text as often as possible.
 * 7) Taylor will actually panic about having done/said something wrong if the other person doesn't text back quickly.
 * 8) Taylor would be that awkward, clingy, baby in a more personal relationship. Otherwise, she's that generally cheery-almost-to-an-annoying-point type when she's not worried about messing things up.
 * 9) Taylor prefers to have her hair played with when she's upset (usually resolved by her mother).