Meet JEMMA STERLING. They are EIGHTY SEVEN years old and hail from SYDNEY, AUS. Jemma embodies the constellation, DELPHINUS. They use she/they pronouns. Their faceclaim is BRIE LARSON.
Delphinus reminds me of sun, sand, and surf, screaming at a giant flying spider, fluff and Nutella sandwiches, coral reefs, video games, snapback baseball caps, scuba and snorkeling, making fish friends, identifying with Lilo and Stitch, hanging ten, sunburns, the smell of aloe, pick a card any card, SAVE THE WHALES, do you want to be like otters and hold my hand?, free love.
Okay so Jemma. Born in Australia, has a killer accent, totally the happiest and go-luckiest person you will ever meet. We are talking mega chaotic energy, here. Her family situation was super unconventional, and Jemma grew up as the youngest in a free love commune. Nights were spent camping under the stars, throwing bonfires on the beach, and making sure that everybody was happy at all times. All things considered, Jemma basically was the love child of the entire commune and absolutely let that go to her head. The commune was magical, yes, but Jemma didn’t really worry about her powers until her eighteenth birthday passed with absolutely no signs of magic, let alone a constellation. It seemed so unlikely that such an incredible place, teeming with magic, had produced a dark horse: a nonmagical daughter. Jemma didn’t let this get to her, and instead focused on other aspects of her life.
Instead of learning about real magic in her childhood, Jemma learned everything about sleight of hand, card tricks, and pulling a rabbit out of a hat. She learned how to string together beautiful shell necklaces that she happily sold to tourists while talking their ears off. She learned all about storytelling, drawing, and anything else she could possibly get her hands on. Jemma became obsessed with the idea of creating comics, and made it her life’s goal to create her own story on paper, even if it wasn’t what she wanted in real life.
Possibly Jemma’s best hobby was surfing. Stereotypical, sure, but she’ll tell you how Rip Girls is the best movie in the entire world and how she wanted to be a mermaid when she grew up. Jemma spent her athletic career as a champion surfer and always had a knack for the water. Jemma took to it like a fish more often than not. She’ll do anything as long as it’s in the water, and feels more at home in the water than she does on land. Jemma made herself several mermaid tails, free dove, and took people on snorkeling and scuba tours of Australia. She volunteered at the Sydney Aquarium and decided that if magic wasn’t going to be in the cards for her, that was fine. She’d go on to be a marine biologist and take things one day at a time. Her six sets of parents were beyond proud of her no matter what happened.
It might be a shock to anyone that Jemma got into college, considering she’s such a ditz, but she did and started working full-time at the aquarium as a marine biologist. Her bubbly personality, contagious laughter, and passion for sea life made her the absolute perfect choice. Jemma still would compete in surfing competitions over the summers, or whenever she had some time off, and took people on snorkel tours and free dives on weekends.
Jemma’s magic finally manifested itself only when she was in true mortal danger. (Okay so not totally mortal, considering she was like, seventy three when it happened. She’s a late bloomer, okay? But not in the physical way, that part is fine. More than fine, tbh) She was on a free dive, and thought she had landed on top of an underwater cliff. The rock she’d stepped on gave way from under her, and Jemma found herself sinking deeper and deeper into the ocean depths. Strangely enough, it was a dolphin that passed by and (didn’t help her, the rudeness) once Jemma reached her hand out to it, she felt the spot on her hand where the dolphin had nudged her tingle, and sure enough, there was her glowing Delphinus constellation. Instead of drowning, as Jemma struggled to reach the surface, she accidentally charmed an air bubble to envelop her head so that she could breathe. Boom, magic.
Jemma didn’t really want to go to Polaris, because she hated the idea of leaving home and she really hated the idea of being so far away from an ocean, but considering Polaris is the best school in the world, well, she dealt with it. Jemma escapes to the ocean whenever she can, and has been training at Polaris for about six years now. It’s her favorite place in the world and makes Sydney that much sweeter. Jemma has a dolphin as a pet, and totally has updated the lake to be more like an ocean, and you can always find her hanging out by the lake and chatting up an otter. Jemma loves otters.
Lately, Jemma has been experimenting with the idea of genderfluidity, or at times feeling genderless. For the most part, she’s fine with she pronouns, but is also slowly starting to incorporate they pronouns into their life.
Delphinus is the odd duck of the constellations, and only sponsors those who have a laugh like a dolphin. Am I kidding? Possibly. But, Delphinus obviously operates with those who are gifted water elementals and strong swimmers. Most Delphinus have a very deep connection to the water on a level that borders with spiritual. Delphinus also chooses those who have an affinity towards sea creatures, and someone who is a champion for them. An interesting trait that the current Delphinus possesses is a strong ability with illusionist magic.
Filling Bea Smith’s Flirtationship.
Love Triangle: Okay so, Jemma grew up in a free love commune and doesn’t understand the idea of monogamy. She is def leading both of these people on and like, super not aware of the fact that it’s a bad thing. Oddly enough, she’s very committed to both of them! But they don’t know about each other so it’s a yikes.
Hang Ten: Jemma does not do well in the hills/mountains of Vermont, so she pretty frequently drives down to Rhode Island to catch some waves. This would be her surf crew who she hangs around with and totally takes them all home to Sydney over the summer for some choice waves.
The One that Got Away: This person and Jemma dated for a while, but Jemma messed up (probs cheated) and now she’s really upset and misses them. Cue sadness.
