Seren, the Imagination Summoner
Seren is capable of physically projecting an illusion of images clearly held in their mind. The more fantastic they are, the easier it seems to be to maintain for them, as their overactive imagination never seems to turn off. Active use of the ability causes their slate-colored eyes to shift in hue to an unnatural silver shade. Using their ability practically (i.e.:to show off how they envision a design, or projecting a memory of a real-world object) taxes them almost instantly, causing anything from short-term headaches and blurred vision to migraines and nosebleeds.
What they can do:
Projected images from their mind appear as three-dimensional projections, without actual substance once touched. They are easily phased through with a wave of a hand, though Seren's projections of inflicting psychosomatic effects — an animal brushing against someone's leg or hand might be felt as though it were real, or the sound of rustling trees from imagined wind might make someone feel as though they could feel an actual breeze. Any of these 'real-world' effects are only moderately felt, can be resisted actively by telepaths, and are not felt at all by persons immune to mental influence. While projections can create active sounds (footsteps, a creature's yowl, etc), passive/ongoing sounds are not projected (ex: running water in a stream)
Though their imagination is vivid, projection of it has its limits. Seren can only project up to six distinct 'things' at any given point. (ex: a fairy, a pair of trees, their familiar, and a patch of grass) The current maximum size of their combined projections is 5x5x5 meters, and projecting and maintaining summons and scenery near their limit for any significant period of time would cause compounding strain. Additionally, the more realistic something is, the more focus it requires to conjure and maintain. Summons often take on some otherworldly or fantastic quality to assist with making it easier for Seren to to project, usually in the form of an unnatural coloration or proportions.
"This is Baird. He's my best friend. We've been together as long as I can remember."
Seren almost always maintains a constant projection of a single chimera 'familiar' that may change in animal combinations, but rarely in spirit. Certain aspects of him (like visible texture or the intensity of his coloring) are subject to temporarily change depending on Seren's mental and emotional state. The familiar exists without constant direction from Seren themselves, with behavior best described as autonomous, and his passive existence does not tax them. Though they are capable of directing the familiar's movement and impressing their will on him, he is capable of performing actions that take Seren by surprise if they are in an unstable state.
Ability loss with age … and the gradual process of restoration
As Seren has continued to age, they've noticed that their ability has grown less powerful. Where once they could conjure entire scenes with innocent bliss, they now have to be mindful of how much energy they spend on creating projections involving scenery, and have limitations that progress over time. Heading into college, less and less of their menagerie of 'friends' would come to visit, and the visions they used to create effortlessly would take careful concentration to maintain.
It's not all been bad, though. Where old friends left, Seren's made some new ones along the way, and some others of their imaginary friends have evolved right along with them. Baird's a keystone example of this, his changing shapes becoming more frequent as his summoner sorts out the big questions of Who They Are, and Who They Want To Become.
In spring of 2020, following difficulty with producing any summons aside from Baird himself, Seren volunteered to undergo SOD treatments as a part of human trials for Raytech reproduction of the process first conceived by Bella Sheridan when she was working at Staten Island Hospital. Following the required isolation and rebuild of their immune system, Seren's failing ability was preserved, and even restored to previous strengths. The total size limit of their ability has been restored to the meterage described above, and the number of active conjurations they can produce increased.
Along with that, the psychosomatic effects created specifically by their familiar Baird are more powerful than have previously been seen on screen. The suggestion Seren's ability imposes on any vulnerable mind now causes the illusion of Baird to feel more like a reality. While sometimes these actions are forceful (ex: a stubborn headbutt will feel as though it actually happened, making someone believe and act as though they've been displaced by the action), they are not harmful. (ex: A swat of a clawed paw will not cause someone to feel as though they should have been maimed. Because Seren's presently too much of a fucking cinnamon roll for that.)
I wish, I wish with all my heart…
Separate from the restoration of their ability, during the events of Dragonslayer, Part VIII Seren tapped into a newfound part of their ability that allows for the manifestation of others' imaginations and desires. This new facet to their ability is partially reliant on how strong of a mental image the additional projector has of the concept Seren is trying to manifest on their behalf. Seren is unable to divine ahead of time specifically what will be projected from someone else's imagination, but tends to have a gut feeling about the nature of it— specifically, the type of emotion associated with the psychic echo they're about to project.
Projections that are sourced from someone else's mind are as intensely real to them as Seren's projections are to themself. It would be difficult to register the apparition as something unreal, particularly if the manifested apparition was not fantastic in nature. (See These Revelations for an example of this in action.)
Once a concrete image is formed, Seren can either let the projection play out according to the other person's imagination and expectations, or assume control over it themself. Should they take over the steering wheel, the convincing nature of the projection relies entirely on how much material they have to work with to keep the projection appearing real. Should Seren falter in matching the projection to the projector's expectation, the apparition enters an uncanny valley state where it becomes exceedingly obvious the person, creature, object, or phenomena is not real.
Activity taken by a projection of someone else's imagination can inflict the same psychosomatic effects possible by Seren's base ability. With Seren's ability acting as a conduit, someone could in theory inflict on a vulnerable mind the feeling as though harm should have been done to them, but it is more likely than not that Seren will see the telegraph of that intention before it happens and stop it before it comes to pass.
Line of sight is required on the summoned imagery in order for it to be maintained by Seren and the secondary projector. Lastly, when this facet of Seren's ability is active, the silver shift in eye-color accompanied with their ability use becomes brighter, more white than silver.
