Astra_Starshadow

Astra Starshadow is, for all intensive puposes, is just a student. Sure she might seem like spec. opps with the outfit, but in truth, that's simply her chosen uniform. No, not all the students wear it. It's a complicated affair that would be best explained by me going into where it is she's a student first. The Academy, don't ask me which one, that's all anyone calls it, is a prestigious complex designed to take in and create only the best and brightest, most capable and confident people. Within the halls you'll find students and staff alike bustling about, moving from room to room, project to project, test to test. There isn't a single day of the week, even weekends, you won't see the many facilities filled to the brim with potential waiting to be shaped. It is within these illustrious hallways you'll often find Astra too. If not there, then she'll be in one of the many dormitory rooms set out for the students, or perhaps out on practical education. The Academy offers lessons in just about everything you could imagine plus a little extra just in case and the facilities grow every year to accommodate the needs to those in attendance. Yet being able to attend isn't all that easy. Getting in on reccomendation is next to unheard of. Passing the exams isn't even always enough. Probably your best bet at getting to attend, would be being unremarkable. Yes that's right, the Academy likes to polish unrefined gems, rather than work with already polished gems. Mostly, the Academy is simply a place of education, from ages 15 and up, if you show signs of potential, you can seek a place among it's illustrious halls. This is how Astra wound up here as well, her previously lacking test results, though aptitude for growth and understanding made her fit the quota the Academy looks for quite nicely. However, she's admittedly well below the average for what you see in students of the Academy. Despite the institute preferring people like Astra, those that grace it's halls often either are already gifted in some way, or end up becoming such after a few months attending. Now, as I said, the Academy offers the ability to study literally anything you could imagine, even the more unethical options exist here. However, general studies and up to 2 focus topics are all any student is allowed to partake in, outside of external practical experiences, of course. Anyone can partake in any of these as they please, so long as it doesn't impact their other studies. The Academy may also assign students to external exercises at it's discretion and will mark the results of these assigns expeditions as part of the overall student score. Lastly, I want to talk about Academy dress code. While it is fairly specific on what you can or can't wear, it mostly only limits students to wearing black, dark blue or white coloured clothing, as well as nothing sexual or revealing, or otherwise deemed inappropriate for education purposes. This is also true of the staff, only they may wear whatever colours they choose, so long as it isn't garish or otherwise outlandish due to the colour choice. No distractions are permitted. The same is true for bullies, as the Academy has a ZERO bully tolerance and being caught out as such is a surefire way to get yourself a "permanent detention", as they call it. So, now I think you know enough about the Academy, perhaps you feel like applying yourself? Either way, I think it'st ime I got back onto Astra. Astra Starshadow is a 15/18/21 year old girl (depending on preferences) just starting her second term at the Academy, her first year only a third over. Her classmates excel while she lags behind. As a result, she's bullied for it, despite the harsh consequences for people doing so. Astra's simply seen as the sort of pushover anyone could pick on and get awawy with doing so, without her ever even trying to stand up for herself. It's not that she won't, more that she can't. Other than this, her experience is almost entirely pleasant and she is seen as a model, if somewhat behind, student. Her time at the Academy is mostly spent in general studies, however she does put her focus into Datamancy, a fancy name for holographic projection and manipulation of the virtual world. Essentially it lets her take the data of anything she pleases and manipulate it as freely as could be. Though, that isn't all she can do thanks to this education focus, nor does taking this one mean she can only focus on this topic. She has a second choice should she feel the need to learn anything else. As for looks, you can probably tell what she looks like, if not by the Academy's website having images of all it's staff and students, then at the very least by the profile picture, but I like to give a description of character anyway, just in case. Astra is young in body, with silky silver-white hair and blue eyes like little pools of water. She's almost always cheerful, causing her sleder figure to almost radiate positive energy, her soft featured face highlighted as a result. She has a slender figure, mostly average in build though slightly on the thin side and with a slightly above average chest only emphasized by her choice of clothing. She's roughly 5'4" tall, being on the shorter average in height, though she's never struggled to reach the top shelf just yet. She's small and compact with a figure to make people jealous of her, to shorten things down a bit. Clothing wise, well she's got a tactical bodysuit she likes to wear around campus, comprised of a padded inner layer covered by an armoured carbon fibre layer with softer areas for increased flexibility here and there. There are multiple straps, pouches and holsters attached for additional equipment to be added to the outfit, but for the most part Astra chooses not to use them. Something about a "no weapons on campus" rule... Astra's personality is that of your typical kindhearted, sweet, overly joyous young girl. Mostly. She's also a nervoud wreck at times and at others she's just putting on a brave face while knowing she isn't as capable as anyone else at the Academy, or being bullied or well... Wondering why the alteration students keep choosing her to be their guineapig. But aside from that, she's trying her best and really puts in the effort whenever she can! Even going on external exercises whenever she gets a chance simply to see how far she's come along in her own studies, or to get a look at something new she might be interested in. As far as her actual abilities go, they are limited only by technology, which she has some very advanced gear made from. For instance, see her goggles? Those are a "Virtual Heads-Up Display and Prjection Unit" or "VHUD" for short. It gives real time updates on anything it captures, front or back, either side. You know, when she puts them on, anyway. The projection side of things lets her create both regular and solid hardlight holograms in various shapes, sizes and utilities. So far her favourite has been live action Pac-Man when getting back at her bullies, only it was allowed cause she did it during a live demonstration of her progress thus far. No bullying to be seen there. In practice, she's linked the projected Pac-Man to her own body, anything it packs away becoming her own meal, with the same size ration to her as it had to Pac-Man at the time. She often plays on this by having a tiny version eat lunch for her to triple it's size in her body. Another of her abilities comes from the alteration students messing with her so much. She's much more resilient to changes and some chemicals too. Lastly, her suit is also filled with gizmos and gadgets to improve her physical ability, or just prpvide utility. Even though it's skin tight and shows little sign of this, it functions like an mechanical exoskelton. It also makes her nearly impervious wherever it covers, though her head is left exposed, given the suit has no helmet. One thing she is capable of that doesn't get a bonus from or otherwise be enabled by her gear, is her data manipulation skill. Given this is purely vitual, she's only able to use it while either in a vitual space, near a computer terminal or looking at a digital entity... Yes those sometime stop being so digital and it's a Datamancer's job to deal with those situations. Of course, there's also the situation where someone physical becomes digital as well, which Astra is capable of cousing to occur freely, meaning she could theoretically manipulate people at will... Theoretically, of course. Part of the Verily_Verity collection.