Link to Encyclopedia:

◦ Charmer ◦

Reducio

Emery quickly was charming to the adults around him as his bright and intelligent nature enchanted the adults, who viewed him as an old soul with wisdom beyond his years. There was a quirkiness, of course, to his introverted self, who through practice could display a sense of open interaction and excitement of meeting others. It was as if there were two parts of him, one that was himself truly, and the outward mask that was charming, delightful, whose goal was to make others laugh and smile. In his eleventh year being alive, Emery had the opportunity to interact with a highly regarded curse-breaker who was a fellow acquaintance of his parents. Having understood instinctively that this person in front of him was an important man, Emery smiled cheekily and exclaimed, "I am a student at Durmstrang presently and it would be wonderful if I could learn from you before you leave." Emery of course did enjoy learning to its fullest pleasure, but in this moment, it was not the love for knowledge that encouraged him to speak, but rather the hopes of making this adult smile and praise him in a way. It was just an unconscious desire for attention as an only child that led to a reflex of attempting his very best to please everyone around him. Emery would grow out of this innocent display of smiles and intellectual charming as he began to recognise as a teenager that youthful charm would not do the trick any longer. He would turn to more flirty and sassy means of charm in certain situations. No matter the method of charming others, it was all a natural part of him that desired to be accepted and to please others that as said before was an involuntary reflux that he was not completely aware of as he truly was a child focused on ascertaining knowledge and only knowledge. His conscious brain only wanted to learn, whether academically or personally. However, his unconscious brain most likely realised that by charming others, more information was readily available, and people were much more likely to be open than with those they were not pleased with. The more Emery aged; his outward persona developed into a unique mix of enchanting and sassy, a personage fit for a rock band singer than an academic. Emery no longer could distinguish the difference between his inner self who cared for others and the outward persona who would charm and acted like he used people.

WORD COUNT
416/400

◦ Lovely Creature ◦

Reducio

Emery Albrecht has always been aesthetically pleasing to observe. As a child, he was the perfect golden-hair boy with blue eyes that shimmered like azul in the sunlight, fracturing beams of refracted light, creating veins of beautiful bright white. There was no doubt in the elderly people around him that he would be incredibly handsome when he was older. As expected, he grew to be a very handsome young lad, and at twelve, right at the cusp of puberty, he had a youthful attractiveness that many would desire. He was clean and sharp in his outfits, and he cared about his appearance far more than most other children. He was catering towards the adults after all, unconsciously waiting to the hear the compliments of, "Oh he's well dressed, he might enter the Ministry or be a powerful duellist one day." This youthful beauty would soon transform into long locks of golden-brown hair, coupled with blue eyes, that matched the strong jawline he began to develop as a young man. He dressed as one with power and he looked it also, with piercing eyes and strong determination in his brows. In school, he never accepted the hand of another, but it was very likely, that if he had, they would have been very glad indeed. Though he focused on his academics and law in his youthful years, he did not neglect his physical activity as many do, instead he made sure to exercise his physical body as well his mind. He was a healthy and strong young man to look at and his personality was strong. There were many who believed this strong personality made him even more attractive, more exciting. He would attend the balls his parents were invited to and the formal events that were hosted, and he always stood out as a handsome man. Coupled with his ability to sound intelligent and curious, many appreciated both his physical attractiveness and his contributions to the conversation. There was a loveliness to him and it was appealing to many of his peers, and his willingness to take care of himself physically as a young man in his teenaged years created habits that allowed him to stay fit and stay healthy as well. Perhaps one could be reminded of a viking when looking upon his features, although of course, that would be the wrong ethnicity for him, as he was German. He looked like a Dorian Grey when he was in his youth, and now he looked muscular and strong.

Word Count
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◦ Perfectionist ◦

Reducio

Even as a child, Albrecht was unique in that he focused deeply only on the books and facts around him. He focused on learning more than he ever focused on gaining social acquaintances and bonds. Unlike most people however, he did not feel lonely in anyway, despite this obsession over books and knowledge. He always desired to know and to be correct in his knowledge so he slowly and meticulously would write notes on what he learned and what he did. Perhaps one could easily remark that his mind was quite keen to research and to present knowledge perfectly. In his schooling, he was desperate in a way to receive top marks in everything that he worked on for his tutors. His desire for perfect knowledge leaked into every part of his life in the future. He was a perfectionist in casting spells, making sure that his wand movement was perfect and that he had the exact syntactic pronunciations of the incantations he wished to practice with. At Durmstrang, this perfectionism seeped into physical exertion as well. If he was to attempt anything, he would put one hundred percent effort into his deeds and confirm he was doing everything perfectly before he would ever display it to others, whether peers or adults. There was no other mindset available to him, because he viewed the world far more black and white than shades of grey. There was no such thing as accepted failure to him. As he matured, he grew in his wisdom and began to learn and appreciate that he could not do everything perfectly, that even though he desired perfection, that was something that could not be achieved fully. His mind began to appreciate the shades of colour and grey that was in the world. Thus, as he grew older, his perfectionism began to concentrate solely on the areas that could be achievable by a human, spell casting, mathematics etc. He began to view his desire to be perfect define itself differently. To be perfect mean to put in 100% effort into something no matter the result. If he failed to achieve a goal but had tried his very best, then that was perfect because there would be no regrets. However, Emery does still have the incessant desire to cast a spell perfectly, never give the wrong answer, and not do something publicly unless he was good at it. Lucky for him, Emery is very good at a lot of things in a wide range of subjects.

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418/400

◦ Impartial ◦

Reducio

As an intellectually focused child as well as a person with a strange personality, Emery has always been used to having people form unappealing opinions about him. Perhaps he is a bit socially awkward, perhaps he is a bit to direct, or perhaps his sense of dress is a little too flamboyant for anyone's taste. As such he has developed a strong sense of self that is rather impartial to people's attempts to convince him of their opinions about it. Just like this impartial attitude to people's opinions, physical attractiveness never really convinces Emery Albrecht of anything. He makes decisions to take actions only based on his own opinions and the allure of a veela or a person with strong physical features never affects his decision making. It is quite ironic however, since he has observed that his physical attractiveness allows him to more easily convince people of his own opinions and achieve his desires. He is not vulnerable, but others are. It is very good for society that Emery Albrecht has no current desire to use this vulnerability for his own benefit. Perhaps it is the fact that he is conventionally attractive that prevents him from being pulled under the allures of attraction. After all, in his mischievous youth, he did often use it to convince his peers to grant him favours. One of these supposed favours was to ask a fellow peer to do his essay on ancient runes and Egyptian hieroglyphs for him. The silly part is Albrecht of course did not trust the quality of the work that this peer would produce, so he had already written that essay, three pages long on parchment. He just desired to test if he could use his attractiveness to convince another for help. He did of course do the nice thing and go on a single date with that person as promised, but it never truly meant anything for him, so he did not offer to continue the relationship. That other person waws conventionally attractive as well, providing him anecdotal evidence that perhaps rationality does not depend on personal attractiveness, solely a function of the brain. In some ways he wished the attractiveness of someone could cause him to become irrational, to lose control, because it seemed such a normal part of society, to fall in love and to be charmed by a person's features and be willing to do anything for them. He wondered why he could use his own charming self and attractiveness for his own gain but could never reciprocate.

◦ Wandless Magic ◦

Reducio

Wandless Magic is quite a difficult feat to achieve that requires great focus and a desire to achieve. For Emery this came easily. As said previously, Emery was academically focused from a very young age and strived to achieve everything perfectly. As a student, he placed wandless magic as that goal of perfection and worked a great many years towards it. He, of course, had the advantage of a private tutor in the summers, as well as a comfortable amount of riches. He never had to worry about any physical needs and had all the reading material that he could have ever desired. Perhaps it was a dream that could never be achieved, but he worked strongly towards it. Learning everything he could at Durmstrang, he purposefully focused on this skill during the fourth year of his schooling and over the summer. He finally achieved his goal of casting wandlessly in his fifth year. It was a simple spell that he was attempting to cast without his wand, Alohomora. He had focused on his intent to open the lock in front of him. A simple lock that he had placed on his trunk. His expectation had not been to succeed as this was the hundredth or more time that he was attempting to cast wandlessly. There was no expectation to succeed at all as he was aware that many wixen would never achieve the skill of casting without a wand. In fact, he was certain that many great wizards and witches who created these spells in the first place had never cast without a wand or even non-verbally. There was a great prestige to be able to achieve wandless casting. He hoped terribly that he would be able to achieve his goal this year, but he did not expect it to happen so soon in the beginning of the year. He intently stared at the lock, imagining it meticulously open, a pin at a time. He cast wandlessly "Alohomora" and to his great surprise it opened quickly. Exactly as he had imagined it opened and Emery had cast his first spell wandlessly. With this success in the forefront of his mind, he began to dream for the moment that he could cast all spells without a wand. There was a great sense of achievement within the heart of his soul, a sense of pride of being one of the few that could indeed cast wandlessly. He imagined other hard skills magically being learned by him in the future.

Word Count
418/400

◦ Occlumency ◦

Reducio

Just as he was strong in intelligence and the ability to display a different personality, to never display his inner self, his desire to protect his mind and his own thoughts allowed him a great deal of assistance of attempting to learn Occlumency. He was naturally inclined to protect his own thoughts from others and this desperate desire to protect his true thoughts and his identity gave him great intent to learn to protect his thoughts magically. He began first by practicing how to empty his mind of his own thoughts, clearing his mind completely and utterly. There was no Occlumens that was able to teach him privately, so Emery was an autodidact in this skill, gaining his knowledge from deep research in the library in his home, as well as through the library in the school. He was a very dedicated young man in his sixth year, desperately wishing for success in this magical skill. Perhaps even more so, because his strange thoughts would never charm anyone if they ever were heard. The more he dedicated his mind to this skill, there were other beneficial affects as well. It allowed him to calm his mind during times of anxiety and to find peace during times of outward turmoil. As he began to slowly train himself in the art of shielding his thoughts, he was more apt at hiding his emotions, no longer wearing his heart on his sleeve. He achieved the ability to absolutely clear his mind, but he wanted to achieve a greater form of Occlumency, hiding only the thoughts and emotions, a Legilimens desired to obtain. So, he continued to train throughout his free time and dedicated himself to the art of occluding his mind. Eventually, Albrecht did achieve the ability to present a faux layer of memory that would trick the other. At Albrecht's request, his tutor was able to find a Legilimens who was willing to test Albrecht's ability confirming his skill and natural attunement to the magical skill. Albrecht was quite pleased with himself, knowing that he would be able to perhaps one day resist the effects of Veritaseum and be familiar with fighting against the control of Imperio. There was a yearning for Albrecht to achieve greatness, and he believed that this would bring him one step towards that goal. Now that he had achieved Occlumency, Albrecht would not stop, he would pursue Legilimency in the future.

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◦ Legilimancy ◦

Reducio

Even when he was young, Emery viewed the world as a playground of learning, and as he grew older, he constantly pursued greater and greater knowledge, whether through books, tutoring, schooling, or pure imagination. There was something within him that was incessant in the desire to know. It made sense then that Albrecht desired to know the thoughts of others, and he knew that as a strong wizard he had the ability to achieve the skill of Legilimancy. When there was an ability that was unknown by him, of course Albrecht would attempt to learn it and so he did. He spent all of seventh year, searching, training, reading, and practicing his ability to read the thoughts of others, dreaming to one day be one of the strongest if not the strongest Legilimens alive. Albrecht always desired to be the best, but was strangely disappointed in himself if he could not achieve it. He poured his heart into learning the skill, and though it took him a great deal of time, his hard work eventually paid off. Sometime in mid-seventh year, Emery gazed into the eyes of another, a classmate at Durmstrang, declared the incantation boldly, and to his great delight, he heard the thoughts of the other. They were in the dining hall and so it was a simple thought, "I am quite hungry" but it was still a thought that the other had not spoken out loud. Albrecht was quite pleased with himself, and he treated himself with a dessert that night, though he would likely regret the amount of sugar that was in the piece of cake, in the future. It was a pleasing thought that he knew how to ascertain the thoughts of others, because in his own experience, the adult world was apt to lie, and knowing the truth of a situation could depend truly on a person's ability to read the minds of another. It would prevent him from being manipulated in the future as well as allow him to ascertain the true opinions others had of him. Since Albrecht did not display his true cunning and shyness, this would allow him to determine if his mask was believed by others around him. In addition, with a glee, no one might except from him, Albrecht would quite enjoy the pranks he would be able to play through the secret knowledge he could gain from this new skill he had learned.

Word Count
406/400

◦ Imperio ◦

Reducio

Perhaps it was strange that a person like Albrecht would enjoy control, for his nature was to enjoy excitement and novelty. However, the power that came from control was a glee like no other. However, the reason Emery learned the imperius curse was as peculiar as he was. It was out of a desire to research the behavior of animals that led him to wish to be able to control them. It was so difficult to learn of these animals when they were so easily skittish, and unwilling to approach him. Perhaps it was indeed a sign of a hidden darkness that his first thought was to learn this curse in order to defeat these obstacles, but Emery had no desire to harm using this spell, only to make his ability to learn easier. His one goal in life was to learn, and Emery put it above everything else. It was easy to forgo any social norms or beliefs because of this. Just as his boredom makes him liable to jump from one idea to another, without the loyalty to people that others usually had, Emery's first thought was to learn this curse without even considering perhaps the significance of knowing and using this curse to the people around him. This was the case with many of the dark arts that he was familiar with, and that was why he had pursued that academic path at Durmstrang. The combination of his incessant desire to learn and his tendency to pursue the unique and the new could get him in trouble without him even having a thought of the consequences. That was why Emery found himself learning and applying the Imperius Curse on unsuspecting creatures such as spiders, ants, once in a while a mammal. It was never a desire to control them either, just to calm them down so that he could inspect them and observe them carefully, without startling them. He would always use Imperio to keep them still or unaware of his presence, and he would always give them a treat afterwards. Perhaps he should consider the reputation this curse had in the wizarding world, but he never gives a frick, and he probably never will. He was the person to do whatever he wanted in his private time, anyway. If no one was going to find out, then the reputation of the curse wouldn't haunt him, and bite him in his arse.

Word Count
405/400

STATUS: Approved For All Abilities in This Post, Zach Zaphiere, 15 October

Link to your encyclopedia thread: Hi
Name of Ability that you Are Applying for: Wandless Magic
Describe why this fits your character (not why you the player want it):

Reducio

Galton and Toad had spent over six years growing together. Neither was the same as they’d been on the faithful day of their meeting, though Toad was still bald. Galton could attribute many of his talents to his hairless companion, and he was sure Toad’s ever increasing ability to stalk and attack the boy at the most inopportune moments had to be driven by his growing ability to avoid the cat’s ambushes.

The one thing Galton had on Toad was his ability to use magic. With wand-in-hand a showdown between the two almost always resulted in an unscathed Lansdale. A quick levitation charm, or snap-casted fumos would allow the young wizard to flee or even turn the tides of battle in his favor. There was just one small problem. He needed his wand.

Toad knew this by now. Pouncing declined to a startling all time low during the day - when Galton was most prepared. But in the evenings when he was tucked into a textbook or making a midnight run to the loo? Open season. Who would sit with their wand ready to cast while they read through charms history? Or walk to the bathroom in proper dueling readiness? Certainly not Galton.

If he was going to survive he would have to overcome his wand reliance. He’d seen others do it, so surely he could too. The ever-familiar dueling club would be the perfect place for him to practice. It’s not like he wasn’t in there almost everyday anyway. He’d just have to leave Toad in the dorms for some of his practices, so she wouldn’t learn of his new trick. As experienced a caster as a senior could be, it would still be quite the sight for any of the younger students to witness. An upper classman shouting basic spells out while waving his hand wildly, only to produce no magic. The only saving grace to this humiliating production was that his ability to avoid spell blowbacks with a wand seemed to stay when there was no wand.

The payoff would come one unremarkable night as Galton returned to his bed stuffed from the evening’s meal. Toad had heard him coming and was waiting beneath his bed. As he neared his fluffy reprise the feline let into action. Bounding forwards and leaping into him. Before claws could meet robe (or flesh) a twirl of the finger and quick “Wingardium Leviosa” would have a confused Toad floating arms-a-stretched. A grin would crawl across Galton’s face as he swooped up the cat and carried it towards the bed like a baby. Forehead kisses would not be enough to hold back the cat’s paws when the shock wore off, but it seemed like an even trade to Galton.

STATUS: Approved, Zach Zaphiere, 15 October

Link to your encyclopedia thread: [ x ]
Name of Ability that you Are Applying for: EVASIVE MANEUVERS I
Describe why this fits your character (not why you the player want it):

Reducio

[ wc: 412 ]————

ulysses spent an entire summer miserable and stuck at home because of an almost failure of potions and transfigurations. while the entirety of hogwarts were at the london quidditch stadium doing merlin knows what, ulysses was forced into studying and creating mock potions for the sake of his mother's sheer embarrassment that this is something a son of hers could do. it only fueled a fire in uly that his mother was a dementor and was absolutely demented for what a hard time she gave him.

the two had always been at opposing ends. uly, as her eldest, challenged her from the very beginning with a long labor and since then he's been testing her patience.

see, uly's saving grace this summer was that when his father came home right about an hour before sunset, he would give his son exactly one hour on his firebolt to keep his skills sharp. perseus even helped his son after he wound down with a few quaffles bewitched to help with his agility and a bludger and goal to help him with his accuracy.

half way through summer, ulysses was sick of feeling like a prisoner in his own home and finally decided to do something about it. with some cleverly replicated scribbling and pencil noises, ulysses figured out that while his mom had guests over, he could sneak away through his window on his broom and if he fell down and did a hair pin curve, he could avoid all the windows and fly high enough to continue to work on his broom skills.

it worked like a charm and he could feel his mind knowing the weight of his body and as the winds changed, he began to naturally adjust to ensure his turns were precise and smooth. and it only took about three weeks for his dad to catch him accidentally leaving the window open one day (something beatrice would never have approved of - for the sake of security and protection).

a light scolding from dad and uly had a summer full of practice. the slytherin quidditch team had won the cup last year and with it being dan and koko's last year, uly felt the need to pull his weight.

those darn beaters weren't going to obliterate him like last year, he was absolutely sure of it. he had these evasive maneuvers in his back pocket, and he certainly was ready to face off of the best from the other houses.

STATUS: Approved, Zach Zaphiere, 15 October

Link to your encyclopedia thread: Here
Name of Ability that you Are Applying for: Wandmaker
Describe why this fits your character:

Black Walnut, Dragon Heartstring; Romanian Longhorn. 30.9 cm, unyielding. — +3 to arcane power when casting spells with this wand.

Wand wood — Black Walnut
Being headstrong and a perfectionist is just the combination needed when paired with the rarer of walnut wood. Black Walnut is known for being hard to master, and requires someone who isn’t afraid to speak their mind and be honest, even with themselves. Someone who is self aware. Whilst youngest Russo prefers to stay quiet in most situations, he has no trouble speaking his mind when the time seems fitting to do so. That passionate and fiery Italian flare can come from nowhere. And while he may be still in his early stages of learning, that doesn’t stop him from knowing what he wants. He knows he will succeed in the areas he has his mind set on. It’s the only way he’s been brought up to think like. And even in those times were he fails the first time, he will get straight back try again. Failing is not defeat. Giving up is. 154/50

Wand core — Dragon Heartstring. Romanian Longhorn
The Romanian Longhorn… know for killing its prey in a rather gruesome way before even thinking of burning it. Ruthless. But that somewhat stems to a similar way the Russo family is. As said before, Renzo is far from the violent type to enjoy acts of ruthlessness, and wiping out anyone who stands in his way, but his family sure can be. It’s in their blood.. which means somewhere, it lies within Renzo too. He might just not know it yet, but maybe his choice of wand is giving him slight signals in where is journey lies. 97/50

Wand length — 30.9 cm
Like Renzo’s inner personality, and not to mention the fiery Italian flare he somehow currently manages to keep at a simmer, the reasonable length of this wand seems quite fitting. His stubborn and quick-witted nature, fuelled with his passion to strive for the very best in casting the most powerful spells is all he wants, for his own fulfilment as well as his families. The downfall to his determination however may come to certain faults of knowing how much power he is able to control.. seeing as the longer the wand, the harder that can be. Only time will tell, and hopes that his passion won’t let him give up in working on his control over magic.
117/50

Wand flexibility — Unyielding
There isn’t a bone in Renzo’s body that would have him back down from succeeding in perfecting a spell, backing down from a fight, or even protecting a loved one against a wizard twice his age with more power. His determination is not only shown through his mental strength and capability, but his braveness and vengefulness when it comes to protecting those he cares for. A large part of this likely stems from the loss of his sister, and his lack of ability in being able to save her. He vows now to never let another person close to him go down without a fight. An unyeilding wand seems fitting for such a boy. 114/50

While the wand he had originally bought from Ollivanders was suited to him quite nicely, his father introduced him to his own father’s wand. Given the off-chance, and with how close and family orientated the Russo family was, Vincent at the very least wanted to share the history of his own journey at the beginning of his schooling life, as well as his own fathers— Renzo’s grandfather.
While he shared treasured memories and intense stories that involved picture sharing, Vincent shared his father’s wand, that had been passed down to him. Unfortunately, he had no proper use to it as there was no personal connection between the two, but when he handed it to Renzo to look at, there was an instant connection. Sure, there was no dramatic levitating off the ground or sudden bursts of magic coming from all directions of the room, but there was a wave of warmth, or what Renzo felt, was a surge of power that ran through his body. A burst of energy and a connection that naturally caused his hand to grip around the wand. It was a connect like no other. The wand he had not long bought had left his mind and all he could think about now was how attached he was to this peculiar wand. It was strange, he knew nothing of it, really, yet he felt like he had had it all his life— like the wand knew him better than anyone, including himself. 246

728/400

STATUS: Approved, Cassius, 19 October

Link to your encyclopedia thread: Here
Name of Ability that you Are Applying for: Statistically Relevant - Accuracy II
Describe why this fits your character:

Reducio

Lavinia owned the flying world at Hogwarts. She was headed into her second season as both quidditch and broom racing captain for the Ravenclaw teams. She was the oldest member of the Ravenclaw quidditch team and the only remaining one who had been on the team since its formation. Lavinia knew how to play all of the positions but had always focused on refining her chaser skills year after year, week after week, and day after day. Coming into her seventh year at Hogwarts she knew how important it was for her to stand out as a potential recruit for professional teams. Everything she had done at Hogwarts up to this point was focused on flying and quidditch with the intention of going pro post graduation. Now the time had come to perfect her skills and Lavinia knew exactly how to get recruited, she needed to become more accurate.

Increasing her accuracy was simple in theory. All she would need to do was practice more, increase her reaction time, and maintain her broom. However, it was not that simple. Lavinia bought a Varápidos broom last year and she loved it because it was always in tip top shape, there was nothing she could improve there. Lavinia’s reaction time was faster than ever before as she always practiced quickly grabbing for the quaffle. There was very little she could do to improve her reaction time and even if she did it would barely make a difference. Practice was what stood out as the way to improve the most. Even though Lavinia already challenged herself to personally practice 5 times a week, she knew to get on a professional team that number would need to go up to 7 or 8. Therefore, Lavinia set herself up to practice 8 times a week with a new practice regiment.

She would practice every weekday and Sunday, leaving Saturday free for playing in games with two days having a double practice. At her individual practices, Lavinia would work on throwing the quaffle into the hoops from every area of the field. She would practice throwing to her teammates and then practice throwing around potential opponents. All of the practice would seem funny from an outside perspective, however, Lavinia knew how important accuracy was to her position and how much she wanted to be scouted to go pro. It was all in her mindset and Lavinia kept seeing improvements to her accuracy in team practices and in regular classes. Spells seemed to hit the mark more than before just as quaffles seemed to always hit the mark. Lavinia was working to push the bounds of her accuracy so she could go down as the best chaser of her generation.

WC: 453

Current Stats: Stamina: 10 | Evasion: 17 | Strength: 7 | Wisdom: 8 | Arcane Power: 6 | Accuracy: 27
New Stats: Stamina: 10 | Evasion: 17 | Strength: 7 | Wisdom: 8 | Arcane Power: 6 | Accuracy: 29

STATUS: Approved, Cassius, 19 October

Link to your encyclopedia thread: Rike's Encyclopedia Page
Name of Ability that you Are Applying for: Prodigal Potions Learner
Describe why this fits your character (not why you the player want it):

Rike grew up around magic, but there was a particular magic that always captivated her. It involved a potion, ingredient and apothecary shop in Edinburgh run by her aunt, Elspeth Bauer. Ever since she could remember, Rike would visit the shop, not just to spend time with her aunt, but to explore the shelves and watch her work with the grace only a potions master could emit. With wide, captivated eyes, Rike would watch Elspeth take these ingredients that might not have anything to do with one another and with a particular crush, cut, stir or flick of her wand, she'd watch her aunt brew the solution to someone's cold, someone's heartache or even to get an edge on the competition.

There was something that just seemed even more magical about potions and their ingredients. Sure, watching her mother tap her wand and then books fly back on the shelves or a wand flick over the pots and pans and they'd start cleaning themselves was always impressive, there was something more about what Elspeth and her little shop contained. As Rike grew older, she'd assist her aunt in the shop, putting ingredients back on the shelves where they were supposed to go or learning to carefully measure out ingredients for shoppers. While she wasn't a paid employee, Elspeth paid her in a more lasting fashion: knowledge. When there was downtime, she'd call Rike over and show her what she was brewing and she'd even test her on the ingredients, their origin, what they're known for and what potions they might be found in. Rike, while still young, showed an interest and a knack for the items and knowledge found within the shop and it didn't go unnoticed.

For her 10th birthday, Rike received a prized book from her aunt: her own copy of Arsenius Jigger's book, Potion Opuscule and the most recent copies of Mixture Monthly and Practical Potioner. While she had no idea about how to brew some of the more obscure and complicated potions found in the journals, it still showed her that this was an interest worth nurturing and that she had support to do so. Rike read those journals cover to cover multiple times that year, making notes in the margins and her copy of Potion Opuscule was covered in ink notes and dog-eared pages of important things to remember. She'd read her book in between helping Elspeth in the shop, even Elspeth allowing Rike to prepare some basic ingredients for her customer's custom concoctions.

So, when Rike received her admission owl from Hogwarts, she was so excited to take a flip through of her new potions book that she picked up with her parents in Diagon Alley. She read the book, taking notes the last few weeks of that summer before she was due to leave for Hogwarts. Upon packing her trunk, she made sure to not only take her new supplies, but to include her marked up copies of the journals and book. Rike couldn't contain her excitement to finally try her own hand at the type of magic that has captivated her interest and imagination all these years.

Word Count: 525

STATUS: Pending, Meenauh, 22.10.2024
You need to be registered in the Index first, and then your ability will be added to your trunk.

STATUS: Approved, Meenauh, 26.10.2024

Link to your encyclopedia thread:
Name of Ability that you Are Applying for: Perfectionist I - Y1
Describe why this fits your character:

STATUS: Approved, Meenauh, 22.10.2024

Link to your encyclopedia thread: Accio!
Name of Ability that you Are Applying for: Prodigal Charms Learner
Describe why this fits your character:

Reducio

Magic wasn't a foreign concept to Lucinia. As a child, her father would regale she and her older brother with stories of magic duels, defeated evils, and fantasy worlds where he was a wizard. Her older brother didn't take it seriously. The older he got, the more these just became stories. But to Lucky -- it was the truth about another world. She believed every word he ever uttered. But when her magic began to manifest, no one was more surprised than Alatar. He believed his children would be squibs. Rare for one family to contain two but he had seen more unbelievable things in his lifetime.

He'd been born to an Irish family of witches and wizards. Turning his back on them for true love had been difficult but it was a choice he didn't regret. The Thawin line went back centuries and removing himself from their history for his wife and children had been a worthy sacrifice. After twenty years of living with magic, Alatar left his wand behind and moved to London. After the death of his wife, he and his children remained in a pseudo magic isolation...until Lucky's magic became an issue. The young, untrained witch needed more than a rusty wizard to keep her in check. Alatar trusted his great aunt with her before Hogwarts. Lucky and her family would often spend summers and holidays in Tutshill.

They weren't 'trainings'. She never taught magic. She never told her everything about the wizarding world. But she honed Lucky's ability to control her emotions so that her magic didn't interfere with her everyday life. When she died, it was two years before Lucky would go off to Hogwarts. She wouldn't have another 'family tutor' until she turned thirteen years old -- and her grandfather died. The Thawins drew together in loss and for the first time, Lucinia met her formable grandmother. For the past two summers, Lucky has been in Ireland -- whether she wants to be or not -- going through the paces. Charms, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts. You name it, her grandmother created her own training for it. It's annoying but the old woman didn't have a hand in how Lucky was raised. She's taking every opportunity to have influence over the emerging witch.

The only lessons that have actually made an impact are Charms. Despite not being the best at keeping track with classwork or homework, she finds herself interested in the summer lessons. There's something comforting about reading her grandparents and aunt's notes about spells. She never met her grandfather but as she opens his old books in his old study -- dust rendering her senses useless for minutes at a time -- she can recognize something of herself in him.

WC: 455

Link to your encyclopedia thread: Accio!
Name of Ability that you Are Applying for: Fearless
Describe why this fits your character:

Reducio

A lot of people would call it foolishness. Her father often called it "hard-headedness." Either way, Lucky Thawin has refused to acknowledge fear for most of her young life. Even as a child, she was never afraid of the typical things: the dark, monsters frothing at the mouth under her bed, or getting lost on busy London streets. Instead, Lucky found excitement in the unknown, viewing every shadow as an adventure waiting to unfold. Where some would call her a fool, Lucky would say it was a way to cope with loss and turbulent times.

She encountered death for the first time as a child. One day, her mother was there and the next, she was gone. Disappeared from her eyes like magic. Most of all, what sticks with Lucky is her mother's smile and that same tendency to stick her nose into things that she shouldn't have. Her mother was a journalist -- she questioned the unknown for a living. She was brave. Bold. Her mother is a shadow over her life that she can't quite outrun but the lessons learned from the woman's brief existence are numerous.

Her spirit was like a wildfire -- bright and unyielding -- burning with the desire to propel herself into the unknown. A massive part of Lucky walks around with it. If you aren't afraid of the ultimate unknown -- death -- you can't be sure of what comes after. Her mom could be waiting for her so Lucky taught herself not to be afraid. When her father worked late nights with the bar and her older brother spent his nights preparing them both for school the next day, she was left to her own devices. Despite being with people who loved her, she had a kind of lonely childhood. It left her ill equipped for Hogwarts when she arrived on a fall evening.

Her curious mind longed for the unknown of Hogwarts but being so far from home left her vulnerable. Lucky cloaked herself in her lack of fear -- choosing to 'fake it' until she made it. Sarcasm and cutting eye rolls became her armor. They became her shield. In a brand new world of enchantment and uncertainty, it was a temporary band aid. Lucky had to learn to push forward when you were confused. That's all fearlessness is. The ability to push forward no matter what. You can make her blush, make her forget what she was about to say, even cut her sarcasm down to size with your own wit -- but no one can intimidate Lucinia Thawin. She simply won't let you.

Fear is merely an annoying whisper in her ear -- one she often brushes aside.

WC: 443

STATUS: Both Approved, Meenauh, 22.10.2024

Link to your encyclopedia thread: here
Name of Ability that you Are Applying for: Poison Resistance
Describe why this fits your character:

Reducio

Even after four years the aftermath of the fateful event that befell her family during Lindsey's summer before her third year persisted in her life. One, she was still not talking to her grandfather, who had deliberately kept the family's previous secrets from them all. Two, after all these years, her interest in toxicology had only increased. Her motivation for delving into toxicology was straightforward: her beloved maternal grandparents passed away due to poison, and her great-grandfather didn’t survive through as well, and this should never, never happen again. To those she cared about.

And so she would embark on the journey, paying more attention in Potions class and underlining the potions that had bad effects and their corresponding counteragents in her textbook, as well as doing extra reading to fuel herself with more understanding of the subject. Everything had been pure and simple; please, live well and don't die, okay?

Her research on the topic was relentless. Morning pickings on plants and herbs, brewing of poisons and antidotes, quality time of readings in the library...Thoughts would flash through her mind when she was doing all this - those snippets of life with her passed-away maternal grandparents and paternal great-grandfather, the shock that day which had doomed to strike on her, a growing interest in toxicology when she had read books deeper into it, and…what if she'd actually consume a small amount of poison?

Tiptoeing into basement where all the potions and ingredients were stored in the house, Lindsey crossed her legs and perched on a cushion. She cautiously removed a phial from the glass cabinet, which she knew contained the Dizziness Draught taught to them during their first year and was not particularly tough to handle. She darted out her tongue and licked a tiny bit of liquid from the spoon, almost immediately feeling the bitter taste and a tingle in her mouth, and slight dizziness forcing her to focus and balance herself. Lindsey grimaced, when her brother Edmund popped his head out of the door, suspiciously scanning the room before settling on her scowl. She squeezed a smile out and raised the glass phial to show him that she was perfectly fine, silently indicating to him what she had been doing. Edmund looked hesitantly at her and the liquid for a time, then slowly nodded and turned around. "Just be careful, Linds." Her graduated brother said, quietly yet supportively.

And that would be it. Every day she would take in a small bit of poisonous plant or potion, sometimes a bite, sometimes a lick, sometimes an inhalation. As time flied, she could significantly detect that the effects on her body were slowly waning, even if she ingested more than she had previously. A resistance to the poisonous effects was gradually forming in her body, arming her with what made her feel secure and reassuring.

It was never too late to fight fire with fire.

WC | 486

STATUS: Approved, Meenauh, 22.10.2024

LOVELY CREATURE

Link to your encyclopedia thread: Apparate
Name of Ability that you Are Applying for: Lovely Creature
Describe why this fits your character:

WC; 440/400

Reducio

Evpraksiya was every bit of a forged beauty as she was a born one.

Not from surgery or cosmetics no. But rather forged in the sense that the Vinogradova took beauty into particular account in their marriages. While not shallow by most definitions of the word they certainly included appearances as a factor. Products needed to be pleasing to be convincing after all, and who would argue that logic with a political family that built their influence from their successful wine merchant roots?

The result of this valuing of aesthetics is Evpraksiya. The youngest Vinogradova embodies an otherworldly beauty that captivates, making it difficult to divert one’s gaze. With light blonde hair cascading down in soft waves, the purity (get the pun?) of her aristocratic features, and the delicate porcelain of her complexion, she is objectively, beautiful. But it's not just her physical appearance that draws people in—it’s the refined grace that accompanies her every movement. Years of strict etiquette lessons have perfected her posture and mannerisms, and every step, every glance, is calculated to exude a calm, almost haunting allure.

Much of this ethereal beauty and presence is inherited. From her mother, whom from she received the delicate bone structure and her wide, doll-like eyes that seem to hold an enchanting depth. Her eyes are a unique shade of dark Sacramento green, each just a touch different in tone, a trait passed down from her father and the Vinogradova family’s signature, trait. These details, while small, create an aura around her that is hard to ignore—Evpraksiya seems to carry her lineage in every glance and every careful movement. Even the way her hair shines in the firelight is reminiscent of her mother’s beauty, which was often the talk of high society, even if it was mostly focused on what potions she’d used.

Because of this beauty, as a child, people often showered her with compliments and more than usual, gave the girl special treatment— cooing at her when she was a baby out with her mother in one of her many social tea parties and wishing for a child as adorable as her or her peers glaring in each other to sit in the seat next to her. Even the seasoned cook hesitantly gave her one too many pasties after she moped sadly around in the kitchen for a few minutes much to the exasperation of her nanny. Whether in conversation or the middle of a duel, Evpraksiya’s presence is enough to make one falter for a split second. To her, her beauty is an invisible barrier, one that’s every bit a weapon as the wand she wields.

EVPRAKSIYA M. Y. VINOGRADOVA

STATUS: Approved, Meenauh, 22.10.2024