STRENGTHS:

• speed, despite being on the smaller side, she is quick

• parkour, flexibility, and escape maneuvers

• extremely quiet while moving when she wants to be - hence the nickname cat

• generally attuned to those around her; able to decipher what others might be feeling or thinking in order to try and use that to her advantage.  not necessarily empathetic so much as perceptive

• decently manipulative, pretty good at utilizing a situation to get things she might want out of others

• pickpocketing

• general stealing of food, money, clothes, etc. or going unnoticed

• she's trained in hand to hand combat and has the capabilities to take down men far larger than her if needed

• aim and using weapons ( guns and throwing knives preferred )

WEAKNESSES:

• physical strength... she's just too tiny

• hand to hand combat: though she's trained, it's just not her preferred fighting style and will not usually be how she gets any sort of advantage over an opponent

• a bit of a desperation to her at times.  while not always and usually level headed, she can occasionally find herself in situations where she's too hungry, emotionally vulnerable, or weakened to the point she can be easily overwhelmed or controlled

• 3rd/4th grade reading level

• can’t swim really.  lots of flailing and just trying to get to something that can help her float or get her out

MENTAL CONDITION

these might not often be mentioned or brought up in roleplay directly because, when cat’s at her worst, she’s usually far from people or unwilling to deal with them.  plus, she’s become so accustomed to enduring with most things that she can go through most days without acknowledging them.  it’s usually when she’s in an unfamiliar situation that these struggles come out stronger, as her approach to them doesn’t work as usual.

episodic depression

depression built over time after everything that has happened to her.  no one thing set it off and she certainly wasn’t born struggling with it.  between poor nourishment and the constant struggling, there created a terrible chemical imbalance in her.

cat has depression consistently in that she’s always down on herself, but she has much more serious depressions periodically where she struggles to get anything done.  she’ll avoid people and hide away.  these are the main reason she is so malnourished and underfed.  when they happen, she starts wasting away from lack of stealing, eating, sometimes even leaving her area.

if she disappears for a few days, it’s often during one of these times.  interacting with her during these moments will result in half-hearted attempts to be her usual self but also a constant try to get away.  she’ll also be more likely to snap and do things she’ll regret when it comes to relationships.

mild ptsd

the abuse and rape set this particular struggle off.  the memories are heavy in her mind though she often tries to ignore them and go about life forgetting such things happened.  she does so by covering her scars, keeping anyone from grabbing her wrists, and living in the present.  by focusing on surviving, she worries less about the pain of it all.  ironically, it’s safe settings that cause cat to lose it more, her mind having little else to focus on than the memories hitting her.

triggers can cause flashbacks ( getting grabbed/tied on the wrists, pinned to a bed, older men grabbing her, sometimes just getting grabbed in general, being in small spaces, being trapped, a few others ).  will either lose it - heart rate speeding up, possible screaming, having anxiety or panic attacks - or she might simply dissociate from the moment - being unable to focus or understand her surroundings, staring to nothingness, numbness, feeling separated from reality.

nightmares, difficulty sleeping, paranoia, emotional problems, hating the world, and relationship troubles all stem from this, as well, though the exact affects can very based on person, emotional control, and circumstances.

borderline personality disorder

cat displays all the major symptoms of bpd

• emotions are very up and down

• struggles with relationships 

• how she views herself varies depending on who she is with, usually negative

• she’ll take unnecessary risks

• she thinks about suicide and has attempted it

• fears abandonment

• struggles with hallucinations and sometimes delusions ( usually take triggers and are not exceedingly common )

this was born out of the poor relationships she’s had over the years.  this causes cat to not only believe relationships are temporary, but to lash out or seem awkward in them if certain thoughts and behaviors are triggered.  she doesn’t know how to handle connections properly.  she can be good and seem to be doing wonderful one moment, and then the next, she’s become socially inept and destructive.  she’ll push away and tear herself down in the process to escape having someone around she thinks will hurt her.

copper’s constant degrading her has caused her to become hateful of herself and difficult with others, but also taught her to take risks she shouldn’t, especially regarding stealing.

she can sometimes have mood swings and seem to snap between personalities.  it isn’t bi-polarity, but her feelings can seem to change in a heartbeat if the wrong thing sets her off.  or even the right thing.  she is capable of expressing jubilant emotions, as well.  this is also reflected in that the line between her maturity and immaturity is incredibly thin.  she was forced to grow up so fast that a progression and sense of balance between being a child and being an adult is quite skewed.  when she’s safe, this immaturity can come out far easier.