Paola McLantern

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A brash, almost arrogant virtuoso who studies both the magical and occult. Even if her interests are quite whimsical, she takes them very seriously - constantly challenging herself and undertaking bigger and bigger projects.

Her only reprieve from the world of spooky, mystical things is sweets. Delicious sweets.

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• Candy corn is one of her most favorite treats (only surpassed by peanut butter cups). She doesn’t get the hate at all and is convinced that people dislike it for disingenuous reasons.
• Originally ‘found’ by a wandering woodsman when she was a child, Paola grew up alongside dozens of other children at the Feu Manor, an ecclesiastical boarding house in St. Pear, Louisiana. She was the youngest and smallest of her group.
  • The surname ‘McLantern’ was adapted from the manor’s primary caretaker, Friar Feuillen McLantern. There are no records of Paola’s biological background.
  • Paola still visits the manor to perform and drop off gifts for the next generation of children.
• Nervous eating is one of her main ways of dealing with stress. As a result, she has a bit of a hoarding problem when it comes to snacks. Abundance is a comfort, since it staves off the threat of its lack.
  • Offering one of their treats to other people tends to substitute meaningful social interaction. Sharing also helps fight her guilt about indulging in childish things.
• Despite her self-proclaimed witch-hood, Paola practices the craft of both witchcraft and wizardry. She clarifies that the former is more spiritual and ritualistic, while the latter is akin to an academic discipline. And she prefers calling herself a witch because of its association with horror rather than fantasy.
• Even though stage magic doesn’t appeal to her, she has nevertheless grown close with traveling magician Patricio, who remains a life-long inspiration for her unabashed interest in the occult.
  • They would first meet in their teenage years. Friar McLantern brought them to the manor one day after hearing from concerned people about a child wandering alone. Patricio would quickly turn down a more permanent stay with the Feu family, garnering Paola’s fascination.
• Making costumes is her favorite creative activity, though they can end up looking like a patchwork quilt because of her insistence on sewing by hand.
  • They enjoy collecting costumes as well. They seem much more invested with them rather than everyday clothes, even if the occasion to don one comes rarely.
• Development of TRICK was heavily impacted by her impoverished upbringing, as imagined visions of food, warmth, and shelter mentally distracted her from her reality. As a result, it matured at an extremely young age, making her a prodigy among her peers.
  • She’s heavily convinced that her Value creates more than just images, since senses other than sight (touch, taste, smell) are influenced. For example, the ‘fires’ she creates can make one feel warmth if you believe in it enough. Though Value scientists argue that TRICK’s efficacy outside of illusion is pseudoscience, Paola seems determined to develop her Value enough to defy even the natural rules of energy and mass - creating something out of nothing.
• Their actual day of birth is unknown. Those raised by Friar McLantern typically adapt the day they arrive at the Manor as their personal birthday, and Paola is no different.