Matrona Dol Constantin

the basics

full name ♦ Matrona Dol Constantin
nicknames ♦ Mattie, Mat
age ♦ twenty-five
birthday ♦ January 16, 1993
occupation ♦ Performer
school ♦ Homeschooled
species ♦ shapeshifter
ability/power ♦ Tiger Shifter
how the ability works ♦ Ever since puberty, Mattie has been able to change her shape into that of a huge, orange tiger when she pleases. She had been entirely unprepared for the pain at first, but the older she has grown and the more she changes, it feels natural, an extension of her being. At some point it feels like an endless continuum, the line between the two halves blurring together. Since she was trained and heavily encouraged to be in her tiger form for long periods of time as an adolescent, she feels comfortable with it, but it drains her to shift too quickly or back and forth. She needs to load up on protein and rest after a long shift or else she’ll get sick to her stomach and a persisting headache.
gender ♦ female, she/her
sexuality ♦ Pansexual

the appearance

face claim ♦ Iskra Lawrence
height and weight ♦ 5'9" and 194 lbs
identifying features ♦ Mattie has a few freckles over her face and shoulders.
overall appearance ♦ Mattie stands a bit taller than the average woman, and her body is much broader, her curves soft and plentiful even as she works to tone her body for performing. Most of this is centered around her hips and thighs, which she carries with pride and without a second thought. She prefers movable, simpler clothing; she’s most comfortable in a pair of yoga pants and a cotton t-shirt. Even when she goes, she prefers cotton or other free-flowing but form fitting fabrics. If she can’t dance to her full potential in it, she is highly unlikely to be caught in it. This comfortableness seems to radiate from her and is highlighted in her face that seems built for smiling. Dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, somewhat tanned skin; she has an Americana about her that she had to earn, considering her origins.

the personality

likes ♦ her sister, swimming, baked goods, free afternoons, going out with friends, shifting,
dislikes ♦ stiff clothing, going long periods without shifting, enclosed spaces, salads
strengths ♦ confident, very open person, curious
weaknesses ♦ very open person, co-dependent on her sister
dreams ♦ to try as many new things as possible
fears ♦ being separated from her sister, somehow losing her other form
overall personality ♦

Mattie is comfortable in her skin, whether it is human or sheathed in fur. She has the vague energy of a drunk girl complimenting you in a bathroom but almost all the time: supportive, maybe a little loud, too giving. Always the more outgoing of the two twins, she was blessed with an openness and confidence from a young age. After the discovery of her powers, Mattie prefers to live an open life; she rarely holds things back. She has always felt things deeply and without restraint, having very little filter between her inner thoughts and her outer actions or expressions. Age has brought a little tact, but still, no one would ever refer to Mattie as guarded or closed-off. Mattie enjoys experiencing new things, new people, new places, everything. She tries to lean away from the limits that had been imposed on her as a child than a young teen. Following instinct and gut feelings, Mat has a tendency to get herself into way too much trouble way too quickly, to the point that the more-grounded Val has to bring her back. Between the two of them, they create a workable balance of reserved and outgoing, and while Mat calls Val on her worse dramatics, she tends to defer to her twin for more than she probably should. It can give others the idea that Val may strictly call the shots.

the history

father ♦ Mihai Petru, Unknown, Unknown, birth father
mother ♦ Marie Adam, Unknown, Unknown, birth mother
siblings ♦ @valentina , sister
important people ♦ The Circus Troupe, The Eliot's (adoptive parents)
hometown ♦ born in Romania, grew up in New Orleans, LA
overall history ♦ {Child Neglect, Abandonment, Adoption}

The twins were born to parents already down on their luck, and the addition of two more mouths was too much for the family. Having little other recourse, the family reluctantly put the two into an orphanage famous for its overrun nurseries and understaffed faculty. Two of hundreds, they were rarely held or care for. Besides each other, they had very little outside human interaction or attention. They grew malnourished and frail, until at about six months, the orphanage experience an influx of American interest and volunteers. With the extra care, attention, and money, the girls were able to experience what felt like real human love and interest. This could never right all the wrongs they and the other orphans had experienced, but it went a long way into normalizing their environment and development. The two were able to grow and develop at a semi-normal pace.


When they were five-years-old, another change swept through their lives. An American couple, upon seeing the two, fell head-over-heels and moved heaven and earth to adopt not one but both. In what felt like a snap, the girls were whisked away to New Orleans and took up shop with their well-off adoptive parents. Scared, in a new world, and with broken English, Mattie tried to adjust to their new world, but she found it frightening and dazzling. She tried to connect with her adoptive parents, but it was hard. Having had little to no attachments with adults near birth had damaged her ability to form new ones. Though she liked them, she could never love the Eliot’s.


Near the beginning of her coming of age, Val and Mattie began to diverge. Val became volatile, almost violent, and Mattie became more outgoing, almost as though she was picking up the slack for Val. Mattie did her best to keep her sister in check, fearful that the gilded cage they lived in would be taken away. The girls were still inseparable, but they seemed to be completely different, their personalities and interactions with others mimicking the divergence of their appearances.


When Val shifted at 12, Mattie was in both terror and awe. She lived in both fear and hope that she would turn as well; she knew the Eliot’s were struggling with Val’s ability. She wanted nothing to separate them, as she felt her sister needed her. It was a relief when she shifted for the first time. The Eliot’s, wealthy as they were, could not afford to send them both to Primrose, and, at their wit’s end, they were approached by the kindly owners of a circus who had places for the girls. Unsure what else to do, the Eliot’s transferred custody of their special girls to the circus. The girls were taken in, and though Mattie was skeptical at first, she found the circus to be a sanctuary.


She was dazzled by it all, at first. The idea that she was special, that she had more to her than she could have ever dreamed, it was so new, and every child has at least once dreamed of running away to the circus. Even as Val grew more reclusive, Mattie struck out and was determined to take full advantage of their circumstances. Performing amongst all the people, talking to other people with abilities, it was all so new to her. She grew used to her animal form, to bringing her hidden truth to life. At first, it was strange to her, to be either a tiger or a girl in the public eye. She understood why she couldn’t be both, but it still bothers her. One, to this day, feels like an extension of the other, as inseparable as she and her sister.


Still, Mattie carefully squirreled away her savings, dutifully performed, and trained in the use of her power. She and her sister were homeschooled when they had the time, and Mattie was able to earn her high school diploma. She didn’t quite see the point of college, all considered, and stayed with the troupe, making deeper connections than Val seemed capable of. She helped her sister when she could and was excited to see the other girl open up more and more over the course of their lives. Though Val is still rather closed off, Mattie is proud of the progress and relationships she has made. Mattie continues to perform with the circus, where she makes enough to live a pleasant enough life. She and Val have little contact with the Eliot’s, which doesn’t much trouble either anymore.

the role player

alias ♦ bree, the dowager of ships, basements, bad decisions, and A&C
age ♦ 23
pronouns ♦ she/her
code ♦ ADMIN EDIT
other characters ♦ if any