 |
| Elona Lebedeva as Sophie Rousseau |
|
| Name: |
Sophie Rousseau |
| Birthdate: |
February 11, 1946 |
| Faction: |
X-Men |
| Codename: |
Mistral (pronounced as in French: "mi-STRAHL", "mi" as in the scale-singing syllable) |
| Position: |
Fledgling X-Man |
| Hometown: |
Originally Paris, France, now New York (as of her mother's 1956 posting to the UN) |
| Partner(s): |
Elizabeth Mayhugh, a.k.a. Nyx |
Height: |
5'6" (168cm) |
| Father: |
Henri Rousseau, photojournalist |
Weight: |
119 lb. (54kg) |
| Mother: |
Aurelie Rousseau, French diplomat |
Hair Color: |
Blonde |
| Siblings: |
None |
Eye Color: |
Blue |
| Children: |
NA |
|
|
Background
Sophie Rousseau's story starts with that of her parents, in World War II France. Her father, Henri, had been a newspaper photographer in Paris prior to the Nazi invasion. After the fall of France, while working with the Resistance, he continued his work as a photojournalist as best he could, hoping that one day, the images he was capturing might serve as a record of the horrors and heroism he was witnessing first hand. During this time, he met Aurelie Chardon, a strong-willed, fearless young woman who had been a freshly-minted law school graduate before the war interrupted her career, and had instead taken up arms against the occupying Germans. Together, they took part in various acts of sabotage, espionage, and at times, open combat against the Nazis, and by war's end, they had not only survived, but along the way, had fallen in love. Amidst the revelry of V-E day, Henri asked Aurelie to marry him. Her reply? "Let us find a priest."
Fast-forward nearly 14 years, and the Rousseaus have both become successful professionals in their fields. Henri found a degree of fame early on, as his wartime photos — including several of Captain America and other heroes of the era during the liberation of France — were published around the world. Since then, his work has been in demand from news agencies and magazines on both sides of the Atlantic. Aurelie, following the birth of the couple's daughter, found employment with the postwar French government, her law degree and her wartime heroism gaining her entry into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. By early 1959, she is a trusted member of the diplomatic corps, and a member of the French delegation to the United Nations. Their young daughter, Sophie, then nearly 13 years old, is a bright, vivacious child, and in addition to excelling academically at a prestigious Manhattan private school, she is an enthusiastic student of dance as well as a talented young musician. Unbeknownst to her parents, she is also on the verge of becoming something more.
Late one afternoon, while visiting her mother's office after school, Sophie is filling her time by practicing dance moves in the corridor. Missing her footing and trying to regain her balance, she finds herself suddenly changed into a ghostly, ethereal form. Seconds later, the confused and panicked girl has regained her solidity, and glances around, relieved to see that apparently no one had noticed whatever it was that just happened to her.
Except someone had. An acquaintance of Aurelie's from the Israeli delegation had happened to walk past in an intersecting corridor at just the right moment to witness Sophie's transformation. Choosing to be discreet, she did not approach the girl, but instead went to Aurelie with what she had seen, and what she suspected to be its explanation. Stunned and nearly disbelieving, Aurelie nonetheless listened as her fellow diplomat suggested she consult with a private school in Westchester run by an acquaintance of hers, one specializing in students with exceptional "gifts"…
Fast-forward another 5 years and a bit to May, 1964, and 18-year-old Sophie "Mistral" Rousseau is about to graduate high school at the Xavier Institute.
IC Events
Traits
- AIRY FORM: Sophie can transform her solid body into an airy, desolid form. In airy form, she normally appears as a "ghostly", soft-focus version of her normal appearance, including whatever she was wearing when she transformed, but she can also choose to blend in with the surrounding air, becoming essentially invisible to normal sight (though still visible to infrared). While in this form, she cannot be harmed by physical attacks (though energy attacks and mental powers affect her normally), but she also cannot pick up or operate solid objects. She also cannot pass through walls or other solid matter, but she can 'flow' for short distances through openings or passages too small for her body to fit through, resuming her normal airy shape on the other side. While in airy form, Sophie is unaffected by moderate temperature extremes (-40 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit), is immune to poisonous gases, and cannot drown or suffocate.
- AIR MANIPULATION: Sophie can cause the air around her to move, the maximum volume and duration of the effect being dependent on the speed and force with which she wants the air to move.
- For up to a 25 yard radius, she can induce a gentle, cooling breeze throughout the entire volume, and maintain it almost indefinitely.
- At the other end of the scale, she can create a focused, hurricane-force wind, directed away from her in a narrow conical area of effect, sufficent to knock most humanoids off their feet or move multi-hundred-pound objects. This effect can be maintained for up to around 30 seconds.
Levels of effect between these two extremes are possible, of course, and in general, the more forceful the effect, the less precision with which Sophie can wield it. In any case, this power is NOT capable of fine manipulation — While it can be used to move objects, it cannot place them precisely or operate controls requiring more finesse than a light switch.
- AIR BOLTS: Sophie can project semi-solid bolts of blunt concussive force. These bolts have a range of up to about 50 yards, and have an impact comparable to a punch at peak human strength.
- FLIGHT: Sophie can use her control of the air to buoy herself up against the force of gravity, and also to propel herself with considerable speed. While in solid, human form, she can travel at speeds up to around 250 mph, her powers being sufficient to protect her from air friction, small airborne objects and debris, and so forth up to that point. If in airy form, she faces no such limitation, and her maximum speed tops out at a bit below Mach One. While flying in solid form, she can carry up to about 250 lb. of additional weight (or 1 to 2 adult passengers), though while fully laden, her maximum speed is reduced to around 100 mph. Passengers carried are protected from harm by the same effect as Sophie herself.
- LANGUAGES: In addition to her native language (French), Sophie is fluent in English and German, and can get by reasonably in Italian and Spanish.
- DANCE: Sophie is trained in both classical ballet and more modern forms of dance.
- MUSIC: Sophie is a skilled pianist, is comfortably competent with a guitar, and has a lovely soprano singing voice.
- PHOTOGRAPHY: Thanks to her father, Sophie is adept both at taking photos and with darkroom procedures and techniques.
- SELF DEFENSE: As a Xavier's student, Sophie has received training in hand to hand combat and defensive techniques. While she would not last long in melee against a powered combatant or someone with true martial arts training, she is quite capable of holding her own against most ordinary, human-level assailants.
- MENTAL DEFENSE: Also due to her study at Xavier's, Sophie has been trained in techniques for resisting telepathic intrusions and attempts at mind control. This will not protect her for long against a high-grade telepath (or a sustained attack from a lesser mentalist), but it will provide her with a bit more resistance than the average person, and possibly a chance to escape before her defenses fail.
- XAVIER'S SCHOOL: As a student (and soon to be high school graduate) at Xavier's (and a prospective X-Man), Sophie has at least some access to the school's resources, as well as contacts within and knowledge of the mutant community.
- WELL-TRAVELED: As the child of a diplomat and a photojournalist, Sophie has traveled extensively in the company of one or both parents, to everywhere from the great cities of Europe to distant, exotic locales. She has met a number of fairly famous people, and has been exposed to cultures and cuisines most young women her age can only dream of.
- HIGH INTELLIGENCE: While she falls short of genius level, Sophie is of notably above-average intelligence.
- MUTANT VIGOR: Sophie shares the robust health and above-average resilience common to many mutants.
- AIR REQUIRED: With the exception of her Airy Form transformation, all of Sophie's powers require a volume of air around her to function. In a vacuum or underwater, she cannot fly, and without air to work with, her Air Manipulation and Air Bolts powers are obviously useless.
- OVEREXERTION: It is possible for Sophie to exceed the normal bounds of her powers, but by doing so, she risks overexerting herself and leaving herself exhausted, impaired, or incapacitated, depending on how far she has pushed herself past her limits. This could obviously be dangerous or otherwise problematic in the middle of a combat or other emergency situation, and so she is only likely to do so out of desperation or absolute need.
- SOMETHING TO PROVE: Given the stories she's heard about her parents' exploits while working with the French Resistance, Sophie sees her powers as a chance to live up to their wartime heroism. This may lead to her getting in over her head or being a bit reckless with her own safety.
Some suitably period music, and some that just fits Sophie, even if it does not belong to the place and time she lives in.
- 500 Miles — Joan Baez
A song Sophie is fond of, and which she sang at her first appearance at the Eight Ball's open mic night, accompanying herself on guitar. With her soprano range, vocally she sounds closer to this version as recorded by Joanie, but her guitar part is closer to the Peter, Paul and Mary version, adjusted into this key.
- Blowing in the Wind — Peter, Paul and Mary
Another song Sophie likes a lot, and which she performed in a duet with Jay on that same first open mic night, just in a key maybe two whole steps above what's heard here.
(And yes, it's a bit on the nose with Sophie's powerset. So what?)
- This Will Be The Day (from RWBY) — Jeff Williams (featuring Casey Lee Williams)
Different world, different reality, different circumstances, but some things are universal. Like young people waiting to step into their own, and show the world what they can do.
- Stand by You — Rachel Platten
Another cut from the Nyx and Sophie playlist.
- The Day My Powers Arrived — Kirby Krackle
Not the least bit period-appropriate, but fun and awesome and a shout-out to all the mutants. And to everyone else who's ever felt different or alone.
Gallery
Logs
