The Thoughts of a Mirror:

Mirrors are shallow beings - which is strange if you consider that they don't have faces of their own. Fortunately, the mirror in Svitania’s dorm rarely sees her face. But when it does, it makes sure to remember all the physical traits that set her apart. Her masses of dark, curly hair hang unbrushed by her face and thick, flyaway strands are forever tainting her vision. But that isn’t what causes the mirror such woe. Oh no. Instead of seeking the mirror’s opinion every morning, Vita throws on her robes and leaves, her hem trailing after her on the cold stone floor. The lonely mirror longs for a different reflection from the same monotonous bedpost, but perhaps it’s best that it isn’t Vita who provides this relief. Her dark gaze could mar the fragile glass with its anger, and her thick, ungroomed eyebrows could upset the mirror’s delicate stomach.

Another reason why Vita’s face isn’t often glimpsed by the mirror is her height. The piece of furniture is awkwardly angled so that short girls can pick at warts on their noses (hey, no judging! We’re all witches here). Whilst most girl’s chins would at least be glimpsed in the reflection, Vita’s is not one of them. She’s taller than most due to her family’s strong genes. The Sýkora/Evanovich women aren’t your average damsels in distress. They’d jump into the action before the nearest man could even scream for help.

A Beginners Guide to Winning her Heart (nobody said it would be easy):

First off, if someone’s parents name their daughter Svitania, it doesn’t mean you should call them that. Her name is Vita, not some poetic nonsense about sunrise. But once you’ve correctly addressed her, it gets a little more tricky. Vita is under the impression that she doesn’t need anybody’s company to survive. If most people are going to be judgemental then why not ignore them all? I know what you’re thinking: why bother overcoming this minor mountain hurdle? Well, the contents of this independent witch’s heart might just surprise you. Underneath a lot of anger and nonchalance is, in fact, a sense of humour. Do or say something bold that highlights your disregard for modern stereotypes and you might just coax out her laugh.

Some say friendship is built on laughter, but for Vita, this is sadly not the case. A milestone? Sure. But not a bond. In order for her to actually like you (gasp), she has to understand you. Now, even though Vita isn’t an expert in the art of communication, she would still find the spilling of secrets on a first encounterance strange. So you have to have patience. Get to know her slowly through shared activities and moments. She’ll be wary at first, but if you’re kind and careful she won’t snap at you. If you like plants, talk about them. Babble and gush to the extreme because she won’t admit she loves them too if you don’t. Vita’s words are not her weapon, they’re a defence she uses when she feels trapped. Her body is her weapon. Growing up with three older brothers made her appreciate the exhilaration of a scuffle in the mud. Prickly as she may seem, she’s not averse to physical fights and competition. Challenge her.

The trickiest part of Vita is her emotions. Most of the time she knows her own heart, so if you question it, she’ll get angry. Her temper is hotter than a roaring fire, so it’s safe to say you’ll want to avoid this occurrence. There’s just one thing you need to remember: her emotions are hers, and hers alone. As long as you don’t analyse or challenge them, you should survive. But avoiding being attacked isn't winning her heart - you need to win her trust. Vita is someone who appreciates the notion of balance. If you put your faith in her, she’ll put hers out in the open too. However, she might take a while to decide if she can actually let you see her feelings. Making this decision is the hardest part. Once she’s chosen to like you, she’ll stay stubbornly by your side for the rest of eternity... but there’s still one thing you need to avoid.

Never insult Vita’s family. She may not hesitate to point out their flaws, but she does love them all the same. Okay, so her motherly love is questionable, but everyone has a favourite parent, right? If you’re invited to her house, then you know she trusts you. Not only does it emphasise the lack of a guiding female figure in her and her brothers' lives, but it's also the holder or Vita's biggest secret. As her friend, you will have noticed her passion for spell creation and dark magic, but as a person with eyes, you’ll also have realised that her family specialises in combat. So when they gush about their daughter’s 'fighting' future in the magical world, you will be able to see the reality behind Vita’s humourless mask. The day her school makes her choose between her family and herself will be a dark day indeed. All because of one little secret: she doesn’t want her birthright.

A Fairytale - The Witch and the Gypsy’s Daughter (and sons):

"In deepest Russia, where blizzards howled for half the year and the ground was barren and cold, lived a Witch. She had dark eyes that could freeze fire and tumbling blond curls that men wished they could touch. But no sane person ever cared about her looks, because the havoc she could wreak with her fists was so much more exciting. Throw in her magic wand and pristine bloodline and you had a nearly unbeatable opponent — that is, if you could bear to lay a hand on such a beauty. Unfortunately, however, some people didn’t like her attitude as much as her looks. Her sharp gaze chilled blood and her name instilled shivers among her peers. She enjoyed a good fight far more than she should have, and only stopped once blood had been spilt on the floor. Her name? Zoya Evanovich.

Zoya spoke three languages: Russian, English and Slovak. But it wasn’t until she was in her early twenties that she discovered her love for the last. Her parents owned a second estate in Slovakia which she often visited to escape her legacy. Behind a tall wooden fence to the East of the property was a small Roma settlement. Unbeknownst to her parents, Zoya liked to visit the gipsy folk once the sun fell from the sky and their bonfires lit up the night. It was on such an evening that she met Manfri. He was a man who loved his job more than anything, and once Zoya learnt what his profession was, she knew that she had to learn more. She watched as Manfri taught the local school children various martial arts, all with a giant grin across his face. The tattoos circling his wrists didn’t bother the youngsters and they liked to climb on his back before and after the class. When he accused Zoya of trespassing afterwards, the two fighters looked into each other’s eyes and immediately fell in love…"

At least, that was the bedtime story that Vita's father had recounted every night before she was ten. Her father was still the same warmhearted guy, but when he talked about her mother it was like he was thinking of a stranger. Whilst she had been dating Manfri, Zoya had landed herself a job hunting down dangerous Wizarding criminals across the globe. She lived for the thrill of the chase and the sweet tang of victory once she finally managed to track a criminal down. When she became pregnant, the few members of her family whom she hadn't cut off expected her to move into a more gentle career, but Zoya valued her freedom much more than she valued ease. She stayed in Slovakia for a year to raise her newborn child and departed just after her son's first birthday to continue her career. Manfri felt his heart ache every time she left him and their three children but knew that his job at the local school would not bring in the money required for them to attend Durmstrang. He thought of magic as God's gift and wished that he too had been born with the power to possess a wand.

So Vita grew up in with her father. She was a restless child, and always wanted to be outside with her older brothers in the mud. Ignác may have been closer to her in both age and temperament, but Miro was always her favourite. He held her back from following Ignác into the highest trees and the fastest rapids and showed her that the art of conversation could also entertain a walking mind. Miro alone could calm her temper, and often slung an arm around her shoulders like neither of them had a care in the world. Vita wrote to him constantly while he was away at school, yearning for gossip on the best fighters in his year. But much less welcome were the letters they received from her mother. Zoya's letters were packed full of information on her career and her latest catch, and whilst her father treasured them, Vita had a sinking suspicion that the woman prefered to chase the thrill of her next fight than be with her family.

When Vita first entered Durmstrang, she scowled. She had never been around many people and only bonded with her father's students because they liked to fight. Here, where so many students were from prestigious pureblood families like her mother's, Vita was lost. On her first night in the dorm, she set a potted plant on her bedside table for company. She'd always had slightly green fingers and had been the only child to help her father with the plants in their garden at home. The other girls didn't notice it for several days, but when they did, Vita insisted it had always been there. She watered it when they slept, unsure as to why she didn't want other people aware of her passion for nature.

It was only Vita's second week in Russia when she learnt her brothers' secret. She had been asked if she was an only child because of her unknown surname and had rushed to consult her brothers in confusion. It turned out that they were registered to the school as Miro and Ignác Evanovich -- using their mother's maiden name. When Vita looked to Miro for a smile and a kind explanation he wouldn't meet her gaze and muttered something about a higher success rate for purebloods. That was the first time that she ever turned her anger on her eldest brother. She shouted and screamed and they didn't speak for weeks. Vita's father was her only hero now, and he was non-magical. The siblings forgave each other in the end, but Vita made sure that this was something that she was never going to forget.

Vita thrived in herbology and any combat-related courses, of course, but the thrill that she felt when studying curses and darker magic surprised her. Everybody in Vita's family had taken the Magical Combat course for generations and there were even delegated spaces on her family's living room wall for the complimentary swords that she and her siblings would receive at the supposed completion of their combat training. But Vita grew to realise that she didn't want the weapon. Fighting may be her hobby, but Dark Magic would be her career. How to tell her family..?

Approved

---

A grin like a crocodile and a bob like a funny catfish

Name: Ilian Arakov

Age: 12

School: Durmstrang

Year: Third year (Graduating to fourth)

Bloodstatus: Pure

Nationality: Bulgarian

Birthplace: Vratsa, Bulgaria

Appearance: Ilian has short brown hair. For a twelve year old, he already had a deep, raspy voice. The first signs of his puberty coming through. However, he only has a height of five feet two, but his growth spurt hasn't come fully through yet. Ilian has bright blue eyes and is in perfect physical condition. He's quite the athlete.



Personality: Ilian is a good hearted, upstanding, honest, young man. He would never try to lie to someone else, not even, to save his own skin. It's just not in his nature. Besides that he is shy and quiet because of his background of being bullied. Despite this fact, he is very protective of those he holds dear and will stand up for those who are not able to. Ilian has a distaste for bullies.

History: Ilian was born in the Arakov family seated in Vratsa. A city in Bulgaria located at the foot of the Balkan mountains renown for its plenitude of caves and waterfalls. In his youth he often hurried, after dinner and doing his chores, to the Ledenika Cave where the other kids played in all the separate halls. He would silently watch how they played. Not daring to go up to them and ask if he could join them. Not after what had happened at the age of eight. For his birthday his father had gifted him a football, excited as he was with this, he immediately ran to the Ledenika Cave to play some soccer. As Ilian had the time of his life playing soccer, he caught the eye of some older muggleborn children. The four of them went over to Ilian and what resulted was nothing more then sheer agony. Ilian’s eight birthday, which should’ve been a special day had now a sour aftertaste. The muggle children had taken his ball and with a pocket knife they deflated it, the eight year old could not help the tears filling his eyes. After that, they went for Ilian… They beated him up and laughed at him as the boy was no chance for the four of them. After that the Ledenika Cave had never been the same to him. His safe place, the place where he came to take his mind off of the daily chores and whatnot had now turned into a place of pain and horror. Ilian avoided the place like it carried the plague. From that day on he had refused to play with anyone else. Turning his attention inward and focusing more on his family. The boy became an apprentice of his father, Miroslav Arakov, who was a furniture maker. Every day consisted of the same routine. Early in the mornings before anyone else of the family would be up and about, Ilian went to the Skaklya waterfall Waterfall and started working out there. After he was done there and arrived back home his father would meet him in the dining room. There they would convey how the day would look like and head over to the workshop. Ilian would help his father and learn his craft. After work they closed the workshop once again and head back home, where they would dine with the rest of the family.

This went on for about two more years, at the age of ten it would seem that the young Ilian would have his first experience with magic. It had a been like any other day that summer, he had to bring some furniture to some clients at the other end of the town. But it would seem that young Ilian once again would have a run in with fate. As he crossed the street, a group of older boys would walk towards his direction. One look and the boy recognised them instantly. It were the faces that haunted his nightmares and it seemed that the Muggle boys had also recognised him. Time froze on the corner of the street, or at least that was what it felt like. On the Muggle boys their faces a grin started to form and Ilian was thrown back in time. The street, the houses, the passing cars everything seemed to fade only to make room for cold, grey stone all around him. He once again stood in the Ledenika Cave, it felt like it was only yesterday that his eighth birthday had passed. Fear froze him in place, ragged breathing made his chest go up and down. The older boys were running now at him, like wild predators, they leaped at their victim. But a moment away before the demons would kill him, closing his eyes and a tear rolling down his cheek. He screamed and then an ear deafening silence befell the street. As he opened his eyes, he stared right back in the blue eyes of an elderly man. A man with a thick and long grey beard, a wrinkled face, yet one who held a kind and soft expression. As he gazed around a bit more he realised he was in the oh-so-familiar dining room of his home. Ilian’s right hand was held by another and he followed the arm right up to the kind face of his mother. There she sat with his younger sister, Katarina. The person who had been looking at him was now talking in hushed voices with his father. His mother explained to him that this man was an Auror of the Ministry of Magic. The Auror had come to investigate unregistered use of magic on four muggleborn boys. It had seemed that when the ten year old had screamed he had blasted the four Muggleborn who wanted to harm him a few metres back and rendered them unconscious. The Ministery was here to put charms on the muggle children so the magical world could remain secret.

A week after the incident his father talked to him and revealed that Ilian came from a long line of proud pureblood wizards. His father was a wizard and his mother a witch. Miroslav explained to him that they didn’t want to use magic around the children as they wanted them to experience a life without it and when they would prove to have magic leave them the choice to choose if they want to learn more about this or remain among the muggles and live a ‘modest’ life. Ilian who had first hand felt how cruel Muggles could be chose to learn more about his heritage and learn to hone his ‘gift’. A year after this Ilian was sent to Durmstrang Insitute.

The years that followed this were the hardest of Ilian’s young life, many nights he had lain awake wondering if he had made a mistake, by choosing this path. To as swiftly dissuade the thought and continue through the hardship. Now at the age of twelve almost turning thirteen he found himself in Scotland. As his school attended an event hosted by the resident school of magic there, Hogwarts.

Is your character a Quidditch Player? Yes

Approved But we are in London.

- Stamina: 10

- Evasion: 8

- Strength: 10

- Wisdom: 5

- ArcPower: 2 

- Accuracy: 10

- Broom: Nimbus 1700 +2 accuracy, +1 evasion, +1 wisdom, +1 strength

Birth Name: Desmond Arjan Shivaay Lazarus Oberoi-Towers Goes by: Arjan Oberoi Age: Fourteen Date of Birth: September 2005 Ethnicity: Indian School Year: Fifth Year Race: Human Blood Status: Pureblood Height: Five foot Eight

Appearance

   Growing up attending pureblood gatherings and knowing how people will judge you solely on your appearance, Arjan believes that appearances matter. He would judge someone on their choice of attire as a result. This is reflected in his sense of style, which will always be clean, crisp and usually expensive if there is a choice in the matter. Creases are not his friend. Admittedly, he wears his school uniform for most of the year. However, when he does switch to personal clothing - such as at a formal gathering held by his parents or their friends - he would don the latest and most expensive wizard robes he could find. As such, his hair is always styled when outside of his dorm room.

   He has very dark hair, almost jet black. However, in direct sunlight, there is a small hint of dark brown that comes out. His hair is a few inches in length, often gelled. Though, he does tie it back when exercising, if it is long enough to do so. He has hazel-brown eyes, that are a little lighter than his sibling's. He flickers between clean shaven and sporting a little bit of stumble, though it is shaved precisely to avoid looking patchy. Arjan puts in effort into his appearance and that is also reflected in the way that he cares for his body, watching what he eats and how he often he exercises.

   Standing tall at almost five foot seven, Arjan towers over his household already. Whilst he is not the tallest among his peers, he is still above average for his age and certainly his ethnicity. Though he does not play Quidditch, he does enjoy working out. He enjoys the mandatory morning exercises and will do some sort of physical activity most evenings too, to the point where he goes for a run most evenings with strength based activities mixed into his routine. Whilst he prefers to do things the magical way, there are a few very muggle concepts that he has adopted - perhaps without realising - such as the way he exercises and trains his body or how he enjoys throwing a good punch to someone's face rather than always casting magic.[

   Unlike his sister and father, who has slightly pointy ears, Arjan has rather normal boring looking ears.

Personality

   Confident to the point of arrogance, Arjan thought his personality was pretty top notch. He was also very arrogant about his appearance but of course he was, he thought he was handsome as heck. There was a lot of pride within him, to the point where he thought he was superior to many.

   Arjan has very little control over his emotions. He has been known to lash out, getting a violent at times. His short-temper and the fact that he usually got jealous meant he was very easy to wind up. As such, he has been known to get into a fight or two rather easily. But he was not stupid. He kept it away from the professors, maintaining some sort of outwardly appearance of being 'good' in front of them.

   His grades were not terrible. There were a few Ts, mostly due to him getting irritated by the professor. However, He also had a few Es too - maybe the odd O. With decent grades, the fact that he was athletic, Arjan managed to float through the years without getting into too much trouble. Even if he did say so, he could be pretty charming when he wanted to be.

   Whilst his arrogance and the fights he got himself into were bad, it did give him some positive qualities. They made him more courageous and daring. He was willing to fight for what he believed in. Patience was not a virtue that he had but it made him decisive. He made decisions in the spur of a moment and went with them. Sometimes this made him quick to judge, more likely to make the wrong decision but it did not matter. He stuck to his gut instincts.

History

   Born on a cold September day, the baby boy was named Desmond Arjan Shivaay Lazarus Oberoi-Towers. He was born to Kamna Oberoi and Lazarus Towers. Though, it should be noted that there were some distinct differences between him and his 'father'. The pointed ears that his father had was never inherited by him. He even grew up to surpass his father's height by quite a bit - and he is still growing.

   Lazarus had always hidden a secret from his wife and her family - his goblin heritage. It was seen as 'inferior' by many witches and wizards, it was something that he knew to keep quiet. He hid the truth, covering his ears with slightly longer hair. His shortness was played off as 'being Indian', where it was not that uncommon to be only five foot three.

   However, the day that Arjan was born, Lazarus knew that his wife had kept a secret from him too. He never mentioned it. Neither did she. But his 'son' did not inherit the goblin heritage, there was no way to deny the truth. They left unsaid things unsaid. It was better for their marriage. Less than a year after his birth, the couple had a baby daughter - one who inherited the slightly pointy ears, known as Serena J. Towers. He is unaware that his sister is actually his half-sister.

   The Oberoi family was a much more recognised line of purebloods, mostly in Asia. He got along a lot better with his maternal family and cousins than his sister ever did. A lot of his childhood was spent with a couple of cousin brothers who were a similar age. The mentality of the Oberoi family drastically impacted him.

   For the first few years of his life, he went by Desmond Towers, changing his name officially on his ninth birthday - where he took his mother's maiden name, Oberoi. It was here when he became Arjan Oberoi, the name that he chooses to go by now. This was the moment when he realised that he identified better with them, got along with them and more than that, knew that being recognised was power. And power would get him further in life, to where he wanted to go.

   Whilst him and his cousins did not attend Hogwarts, the comparison would be that they would have been very stereotypical pureblood Slytherins with the mindset that those of 'inferior' blood were not worthy of them. They did not actively do anything to muggles or muggleborns, of course, but they would avoid them. It was simply not worth their time. This started off as an 'us' versus 'them' mentality when they were seven or eight. However, over time, it started to get worse, reaching the point where Arjan now believes that he is better than anyone who is not a pureblood. At fourteen, he no longer avoids them but he would be happy to just use them, without really caring. He considers them inferior by default. It is a similar concept to how he would view someone who was not wealthy too.

   On his mother's request - who heavily influenced his own opinions - he attended Durmstrang, joining at the age of ten. There, he was surrounded by more purebloods and spent more time learning the arts that his maternal family wanted him to learn. It was the perfect choice.

   Arjan actually really enjoyed Quidditch, in his first few years. He enjoyed playing the role of a beater, rather specifically. The rest were definitely pointless to him. However, after seeing him in lessons or training matches where there was a risk of him attacking anyone he wanted - including his own teammates - it was pretty known that he was not a team player. The school team would not accept him because of his lack of team work and the fact that he was most likely to send a bludger towards his teammate instead of the opponents for just looking at him funny.

Is your character a Quidditch Player? No.

Approved - Solomon

Stats Stamina: 15 Evasion: 4 Strength: 15 Wisdom: 3 Arcane Power: 7 Accuracy: 10 Stat Base: Year 4, +4 From Quidditch Wins

Is your character a Broom Racer? NO
Is your character a Quidditch Player? YES
Is your character a Duelist? NO

Abilities

Year 2 - Obnoxiously Strong

Reducio

Arrogant and judgmental enough to know how much appearances matter, Arjan spends a lot of time exercising. This was important to him from a very young age. It started off as just playing sports with his friends when he was a child. However, he started to develop a routine. Durmstrang already encouraged morning exercises as part of the mandatory course but Arjan quickly found himself doing extra in the evenings. His routine was usually either strength based exercise or cardio and stamina building.

He had a set of weights in his dorm. Every evening, he would start training his biceps with them. They started off as bicep curls with a pair of light weights. Over time, these became heavier weights. Arjan also found himself doing other exercises like push ups or planks.

One day, he came across a beautiful gold railing that went over some archways. It was nothing major but he managed to reach it. Within moments, he found himself using the railing to do pull ups. It could take his weight, after all. Then again, even if it broke, he would not have been bothered. But Arjan found himself enjoying becoming strong. The first time he tried it, he struggled to do even a single pull up. When he finally started to develop more muscles, he started to achieve more - gradually increasing the number he could do in one go. The same happened with all of his exercises. Planking for ten seconds before collapsing quickly turned to holding it for a minute before reaching two. It was not long before he started to do more press ups, challenging himself to doing more than he could before.

Over the course of the months, he found himself starting to develop strong biceps. The bigger his muscles got, the more he wanted to start to show off. Impressing others, showing off and just being overly strong drove him into working hard. Arjan became obnoxiously strong through a desire to be the best in the room. Luckily for him - or perhaps unluckily - he was rather competitive. This caused a lot of jealousy and envy at times but it also provided endless motivation.

The desire to be the best in the room was always motivating. For Arjan, this was the strongest in the room. He had a lot of competition - there were people with better genetics than his, such as part-giants or people with more training. He lacked both. But he had the desire to be the best. That was enough. That was his drive.

Over time, the more he trained, the stronger he became. As time went on, he started to become "obnoxiously strong".

WC: 446

Year 3 - The Martial Artist

Reducio

In his third year, Arjan was unable to play Quidditch for his school. He wanted to be a beater but his lack of teamwork abilities, the fact that he was more likely to lose his temper and turn against his own team mates meant he was never on the team. He enjoyed the sport in lessons but he was not accepted on the school team. Arjan did not let that stop him, however. It was odd. For a pureblood, he actually adopted a lot of muggle sports without realising it. From kicking a ball around with his friends to tackling them in a game that was very similar to what muggles might consider 'rugby'.

It was in his second year that he understood how discipline played a big part in training and sports. He was introduced to various forms of exercise where he could train and work on his abilities alone. Some took the form of gymnastics or strength based yoga - such as learning how to do handstands, cartwheels, shoulder stands and so on. But he also discovered the world of combat. Physical forms of self-defense and combat - also known as martial arts.

Arjan did not really stick to one specific form of 'martial arts'. Perhaps he lacked the discipline to really stick to one. Or perhaps, he just was not interested in any specific one. Rather, Arjan tried a variety of different arts. It was only the basic moves of the different forms that he tried but it was a start. Over time, he picked up a few moves that would help him in any physical fight. Without a wand or magical talent - which he was struggling with - physical combat was his forte.

In all honesty, there were a few moves that he learned was what everyone could do. A basic punch or a kick, for example. It was nothing fancy. But it was highly effective at the best of times. Simple, yet effective. Arjan did, however, learn how to minimise the chance of breaking his hand whilst punching someone and did spend time training his body to withstand more power than it could before. Likewise, he worked on his flexibility to allow his kick to reach higher than it had previously.

But there were also a few things that he picked up, which might be a little less "basic" over time. For example, how to choke hold someone or grapple with them properly. Arjan may have lacked the discipline to stick to one specific form of martial arts but he was very good at sticking to general training. He worked hard to become a proficient fighter in a physical combat and often was found throwing the first punch, with his hotheaded nature. For someone who prided themselves on being a pureblood, it was rather amusing - and highly ironic - that he resorted to physical violence at every opportunity he got irritated.

WC: 488

Year 4 - Spell Spread

Reducio

For the first few years of his magical experience at Durmstrang, Arjan spent a lot of his time getting into physical fights. It was partially because he enjoyed the look of muscles on his body and appreciated being strong. But, there was another reason. It was because he was rather inept at actually casting spells. He had a few years of magical training under his belt by now - four years in fact. However, he struggled in a magical fight.

For some reason, he lacked the ability to actually cast a spell properly or control magical items. And noticing other things? Pffft. He only noticed himself. And the cute girls, of course but actually finding or noticing other things was beyond him. It was strange. When he did manage to successfully cast a spell, he usually hit the target - and hit them hard. But actually casting them was a struggle for him. It was almost as though he lacked the wisdom to do so and it was more a case of luck.

Being bad at magic got him in trouble a few times. There was an incident when he was surrounded by a few students he had previously beaten up in a physical fight. Unfortunately, with more opponents, it was a little harder for him to fight fairly. If he was able to successfully immobilise a few of them then it would have been so much easier to take them down physically, without getting beaten up. But he continuously found himself failing and ended up losing the fight.

But Arjan was not the type to just 'accept' that he was bad. He adapted. He might not be good at successfully casting but he trained. He focused on his magical power. Through hard work, he did not get better at casting but he did learn something else. He managed to learn how to make his spells even grander than they were before. He had learned how to actually defend himself, give himself a fighting chance at the very least. Unfortunately, it did not make him any better at actually casting. It made him worse, if anything. But it was grander nonetheless.

It became harder to control, and the risks seemed to get worse but if he was successful, Arjan was suddenly capable of actually hitting multiple targets with the same spell. Well, two targets with his spell. Unfortunately, he had a very high chance of it backfiring onto himself. But when forced into a magical fight, this move had the possibility to being his trump card. It might give him a chance of turning the tide or distracting his opponents long enough to get close enough to physically hit them.

WC: 450

Year 5 - Charmer

Reducio

If you knew Arjan Oberoi, the first word you would think was 'charmer'. There was no question about it. Well... That's probably not exactly correct, to be fair. You could probably question that - in fact, please do. In reality, it is probably more precise to say that the boy is distracting to look at. It is his appearance that makes him catch the attention of many around him.

He's tall, good looking and has muscles that only seem to be increasing in size. With the level of attention he pays to his appearance - from his physique to his hairstyle or clothing - he expects people to look at him, and they often do.

Of note, this is not necessarily in a romantic or flirtatious way. There are many reasons people might be distracted by his looks. He has muscles and a physique that shows that he is dedicated and willing to work hard. People often appreciate that, even if they don't find him attractive. In some cases, his reputation can sometimes be the reason. He has a mixed reputation. Rumours of him constantly getting into fights or being hotheaded and quick to anger. However, on record, he also appears to be a decent student. He's respectful to the teachers, can be polite and civil to your face and sometimes, people question if the rumours have any truth behind them. The mixed reputation is a little distracting but also part of his charm. In a way, people are never quite sure where they stand with him. It could be that they don't trust him - understandably - and are watching him to make sure he doesn't do anything.

However, he is also just deemed rather attractive - at least outwardly - even sometimes by those that dislike his personality. He has a pretty cute smile, gorgeous hazel-brown eyes that look like they are looking directly into your soul and a way of making you feel special. Well, until he actually speaks. In reality, he's an idiot who should never open his mouth. He tries to be smooth and it probably works on some people but most likely think it's awkward and ridiculous. Arjan lacks a certain level of wit or a charming personality, for sure. He is not exactly what anyone would consider 'smooth' and is more likely to be silly, cheesy or foolish than smooth. But he presents himself in a certain way and from afar - aka when he's quiet - he can be rather distracting to look at.

This comes from years of training. Being in a pureblood household, with a family that focus on the importance of appearances and reputation, Arjan learned how to present himself at gatherings. No matter how angry he got, no matter how stupid he thought everyone around him was or how much he wanted to just punch someone's face in, he would bite back his tongue and appear polite, respectful and charming. It was all about the reputation. Of course, he would spend an extra hour afterwards exercising to remove his pent up anger. Boxing, for example, was a really good outlet for him - at least, when he had magic to remove any signs from his knuckles or boxing gloves to prevent them in the first place.

Over the summer holidays, he had a few experiences that started to show him just how charming he really was. At least, in his head. One incident took place in the "Capture the Base" event over summer camp. Students from Hogwarts, for example, were totally into him - charmed by his handsome good looks and incredible charm. Lydia Cooper totally fell of him! Literally. [At the very least... he fully believed that she was into him, regardless of what the reality may have been. In his head, she literally fell head over heels for him and his charming personality and good looks].

Incidents like this was evidence that he was really rather charming and it boosted his self-confidence to new heights that those who knew him would not have considered possible. This extra confidence, the smirk, the bad boy reputation he was gathering... they all seemed to have their own sort of charm to it. All in all, he really was a charmer.

WC: 711

OOC Note:
I have written these abilities as though it starts in his second year (which would be Serena's first year) to keep with the same number of abilities that she will get.

Approved

──────── I N F O R M A T I O N ────────

Name: Margarethe Fransson Nickname: Greta Species: Human Age: 12 Birthday: July 27th, 2008

Blood Status: Pureblood School: Durmstrang Year: Third Home: Flåm, Norway Nationality: Norwegian

──────── A P P E A R A N C E ────────

Taking after her father, Greta possesses the common Norwegian traits of fair skin and hair. Locks of honey gold fall to cascade in soft waves to the small of her back, as untamed as the forests in which she resides. Across her porcelain fair skin is a spattering of freckles that darken with the summer months and fade to little more than the barest hint during winter. From her mother, on the other hand, Greta — like her brother, Hanzo — acquired her petite stature, standing at a diminutive 4 feet, and 4 and a half inches. Her eyes are the seafoam green of the waters off the coast of her fjordic home. Her features are soft, rounded, her expressions often calm and unassuming and often bearing a smile upon her lips. Despite her demure stature, Greta carries herself with an assurance that befits her pureblood inheritance.

──────── P E R S O N A L I T Y ────────

Seen and not heard, the way it ought to be. Patient and humble, Greta is a girl of few words, often choosing instead to demonstrate her thoughts through purposeful action. Had she attended Hogwarts, she surely would have been sorted among the loyal and diligent House of the badgers. In spite of her hard-working nature, she's no stranger to fun. Greta is quick to smile, and even quicker to pad after her brother to accompany him on his many adventures, never much liking to be too far from her kin.

──────── B A C K G R O U N D ────────

Greta (née Margarethe) Fransson is the second child and only daughter to purebloods Astrid and Jakob Fransson; and younger sister to Hanzo (née Hans) Fransson. Born to midwives in the town of Flåm, Norway, Greta enjoyed a quiet and diligent upbringing on her family farm located near the coast of a rather fantastical little fjord. To many, it would be a vacation paradise. To her, it was — and still is — home.

It was a peaceful and somewhat reclusive upbringing. In part, this was due to family desire to ensure no muggles were made aware of their less-than-mundane existence. More so, however, their self-isolation from the nearby fishing village was fueled by parental notions of superiority and a distaste for those humans they deemed unworthy to be graced by their presence. This notion of blood superiority would bleed subconsciously into Greta's worldly understanding as she developed, prejudices to be played out without any true realization of their existence.

Born within a year's turn of her brother, Greta became essentially — whenever she was permitted to have her way — inseparable from him. As he labored, performing chores around the farm to tend to the various beasts raised by their father, so too did she; as Hanzo worked to assist his mother in sorting and preparing supplies for her wand-making, so too did Greta invest herself with focus and diligence; while her brother wandered the wild forests within the perimeter surrounding their home, not far would one find his little sister attempting to retrace the divots of each of his footfalls with those of her own. And when he began to return home after his stay at the muggle schools, Greta (who had chosen to remain home with their parents to be home-schooled rather than suffer the inapplicable studies of the muggles) would venture as close to the village as she dared to accompany him on his way home, pestering him with questions about his learnings every step of the way.

It came as no surprise, then, that Greta was overjoyed to receive her invitation to Durmstrang alongside Hanzo, and quickly shut down any alternative suggestion by her mother to attend Beauxbatons (not that such a suggestion ever did, or even would have, come). And when Hanzo expressed interest to join the school's Quidditch team, as too did Greta. Whether he liked it or not, she was his shadow, looking up to her brother as though he himself were a hero of their folklore and striving to be as courageous and free-spirited as he.

Is your character a Quidditch Player? Yes

APPROVED

──────── A C T I V I T I E S ────────

1| Is your character a Broom Racer?: NO
2| Is your character a Quidditch Player?: NO
3| Is your character a Duelist? YES

──────── S T A T I S T I C S ────────

Sta | 4

Str | 1

Eva | 9

Wis | 9

Arc | 8

Acc | 10

──────── Q U I D D I T C H ────────

B R O O M || Silver Arrow — +3 to every stat
P O S I T I O N || Chaser ( #19 )

──────── A B I L I T I E S ────────

Calming Presence — An aura of calm. Allies (defined at the START of an instance regardless of later betrayal) gain a 10% chance to auto-hit their chosen target. This does not stack.		Reducio Rationale Calm. Collected. Reserved. Children ought to be seen, but not heard. This was the way of child rearing for some time, and a sentiment still held by many a family, pureblood or otherwise. Strictly speaking, Greta's family did not quite hold tight to such a notion. Theirs was a relatively small and nuclear family with a proud, but modest living. A living that they were required to work to maintain. Her Greta's father had his breeding and husbandry, while her mother continued to master and expand her craft with wand-making. These were trades that would, in theory, be someday passed down to the Fransson children. In order to do so successfully, however, it meant that early rearing into the businesses would be required, alongside the careful cultivation of discipline and an appreciation for toil. This was more easily achieved with Greta, the younger of their two children, helped in no small amount by the fact that she had chosen to refrain from attending muggle school in the nearby town in favour of receiving an education provided by her parents that they tailored towards their family businesses and the wizarding traditions that had held to for so many years. That Greta took to their teachings and allowed herself to be moulded and crafted to their preference, so readily doing as she was told and ultimately playing the part of an ideal daughter instilled within her parents a great deal of comfort. In her, at least, they could rest assured that the wand-making — as that was the task to which she gravitated with more keen interest than the tending of the magical animals — would carry on in their line. Greta's demure and reliable nature went beyond her dedication to her role within the structure of home and family. Although it was no doubt an irritation at times for Hanzo, the fact that she took such an interest in his life and whereabouts was a comfort to their parents. Especially given his attendance at the muggle school, they couldn't watch over him the way they could Greta. Nor were they generally inclined to wander into the town proper more than necessary. Given her tendency to accompany him to and from his place of study, however, she could — and often did — serve the bridge between them, reporting to their parents his whereabouts and level of well-being, while also passively acting to curb any wild tendencies that might have arisen due to her incessant — nearly to the point of obsessive — need to be with him. More importantly, Greta always had Hanzo's back. Quiet and shy she might be, but she was every ounce of her a capable witch in her own right. Elusive, agile, collected and capable, she could support him in a duel if ever it came down to it. Plus, having grown up with him, she possessed an uncanny ability to read her brother's intent, able to react accordingly in an instant without the need for lengthy discussion. She dedicated herself to her studies at Durmstrang, proving herself to be a quick study with spells, and an above-average mage with wicked aim. And even on the pitch, the team could always rely on her to net them a few goals. She was reliable. All those who knew her well and she considered within her circle could rest assured that her presence, regardless of the situation, would contribute positively. Word Count: 566
Perfectionist I [New] — You have a reduced critical failure chance range by 1. In addition, you can counter up to 1 point of additional critical failure chances caused by abilities or spells (not potions).		Reducio Rationale Excellence. Superiority. Consistency in everything. Concepts hardly foreign to many households, they held especially true within that of the Fransson's. Pureblood and proud, there was little room for any sign of weakness. As the yougner of the two Fransson children, Greta lived perpetually in the shadow of her elder brother and felt this keenly. This year, she had taken one step to differentiate herself. Or, perhaps the better explanation would be that where Hanzo had taken one, she had not. Or at least... hadn't intended to. Where Hanzo had drifted from his position as chaser and captain of the Durmstrang Quidditch team, Greta had meant to remain on the team. Influenced in part by her success on the pitch against Hogwarts, as well as her desire to remain playing alongside her friend, Ella, Greta had fought the urge to pad after Hanzo as he drifted towards duelling. Despite this, Greta's attention had drifted towards duelling in some capacity. There was little doubt that she could execute in the air upon a broom. Her presence as a chaser had been a commanding one, earning herself many a praising word, and even an admirer or two. But after the camp, there had been one event that had stuck with her, eating away at her self-confidence: the team-based duelling chess game. This was only furthered by parental pressure, which would ultimately prove the stronger. Quidditch was hardly a suitable pursuit when she was expected to invest in the family business of wand making. They were a family bound to the wand, not the broom. Although her performance had hardly been something to evoke a snide remark, neither had it been particularly impressive. For days afterwards, she had dwelled on the fact that, under pressure, her spells had failed her nearly as often as they had succeeded. As a student from a prodigious combat-oriented school, this had sat poorly with her indeed. She was the progeny of a wand-maker. Poor casting performance would never do. What was worse, her mother had somehow caught wind of her embarrassing performance, and the sight of her lips pursed in disapproval had nearly sundered the young girl's heart in twain. As a result, for the remainder of the summer, Greta had devoted herself to independent study, determined to make of herself a more worthy duellist. By the time school had started yet again, not only had she succeeded in drastically improving the consistency of her spell-casting, rarely failing a spell now; she had also gained better command of her wand. Unless circumstances were out of her control, it no longer back-fired against her. Something for which she was more than a little glad for all the balm and wrappings she had requested of her father in secret whenever her wand would act up in temperamental practice in her overzealous practice. She would do her parents proud. Or strive to at least. As unimposing as she was, all she could do would be to minimise her ineptitude. To practice those things she was capable of honing to perfection. Word Count: 510

──────────•──────────

APPEARANCE

Growing up in a travelling circus, Cielle knows that her success is mostly determined by how well-recieved she is by the crowds. Most of that depends on her looks, and Cielle is not at all an eyesore, with smooth, tan skin, straight white teeth and sharp brown eyes - to be completely honest, though, she looks more interesting than pretty. Her dark brown hair is kept short, as she finds long hair a hassle, and gives her a rather boyish look when combined with her tall, gangly figure and mischievous smile.

Cielle is quite strong as a result of her intense training in the circus, and although she absolutely despises Quidditch, she can often be seen taking a run in the early hours of the morning, as well as working out during her free time in her dormitory (much to the annoyance of her roommates). As the ringmaster of the circus still wishes for her to perform during her term breaks, she determinedly keeps up her fitness and every holiday without fail, she performs with the circus on the trapeze, just as she always has.

Cielle, like much of the rest of the circus folk, believes that pretty clothing and makeup should be kept to performing and performing only. When living in the circus, she wore whatever would fit her comfortably, regardless of whether it was dirty or too old, and ran around barefoot. However, since coming to Durmstrang, she has upped her game a little, throwing out clothing that was deemed 'unacceptable' by even the most lax of professors, although her clothing choices are still quite casual and not at all at the level of sophistication some of her peers have achieved. Cielle does not like the Durmstrang uniform very much - especially the coat, having grown used to the bitter cold of Scandinavia as a child - and will often try and get out of wearing it, to variable degrees of success.

PERSONALITY

Cielle is what you would call a "wild child" or a "rebel". Unafraid to pull pranks and speak her mind, this has gotten her into plenty of trouble with her elders at not only Durmstrang, but in the circus as well. Instead of changing her ways in order to get into their good books, Cielle chooses to agonize them even further with her rebellious ways. She is untrusting of most adults, having grown up in a setting where no one ever helped her despite claiming that it was their duty to. A rather stubborn and unsentimental child, kind, soothing words do not work on her the way they may on other people - and angry, half-yelled lectures don't seem to do the trick either, as Cielle has long since learned how to tune out shouting.

Cielle has a very tricky relationship with her professors. Having grown up in the circus, reading was never a priority, and so when she came to Durmstrang, she was illiterate and struggled with nearly every single subject. Combined with her rebellious nature, it had only added fuel to the fire and given them something to pick on her about. Although she has received tutoring from an older student since the first few disastrous months, her grades are still not very good, ranging from D's to A's, and her teachers still don't like her very much, which is fine by her as she doesn't like them either. Cielle has determined already that she is not destined for a life in the magical world and plans on moving back to the circus after graduation.

Despite not being academically successful, Cielle is actually quite intelligent in other areas... mainly how to get under someone's skin, something that may not seem very significant on the surface but is quite useful to her. She has rather thick skin, having been toughened up by her years of living in a circus ruled under an unstable ringmaster, and knows how to poke where it hurts... although she usually won't do so unless someone has offended her. Usually, Cielle is quite friendly with her peers, although her speech is peppered with sarcastic jokes that offend some (over sensitive, she says) and most of her first encounters with other people are of her pranking them. She prefers to handle disputes the non-magical way, with a punch to the face or a fistfight.

HISTORY

Carmen and Filip Johansen work in a large Norwegian travelling circus called The Jubilant Bazaar, and unlike most married couples working in the circus business, they don't perform together. Carmen is a trapeze artist, while Filip is a magician. But he's not any magician, as those working in the Bazaar knows. Filip is a pureblood, and had graduated from Durmstrang Institute. He was an exceptional wizard and a favourite amongst his professors, and could have been anything he wanted. An Auror, a professor, anything.

Then he met Carmen.

Carmen and Filip met when the Bazaar was performing in his hometown, in the year 2000. They were smitten with each other on sight, and as cheesy as it sounds... Filip ran away with the circus. At first, his pureblood parents and friends tried to bring him back, but he turned them away angrily, having begun to love the circus life. The circus folk accepted his magic immediately, having seen stranger things, and by the end of 2001, he and Carmen were married.

Cielle was born in the city of Bergen when the Bazaar was there, only half an hour before the performance itself. Those who had bought tickets to the show that night would have noticed that there had been a very loud commotion at one of the caravans parked nearby. All the performers had gathered around the Johansen's caravan, yelling words of encouragement, and the ringmaster, a rather selfish and formidable man, was walking around shouting for everyone to go to the main tent. Carmen and Filip would laugh about it later on - Cielle had been causing trouble even before she was born.

Her upbringing was... off-grid, that was for sure. The Bazaar was a travelling circus, so Cielle never really settled down anywhere, always in a caravan and on the move. She had trained for the trapeze ever since she could walk, and while she wasn't exactly made for it as her mother was, with her taller-than-average body and long limbs, she loved it, and she and her mother created a double-act that they began to perform when she was seven.

In their spare time, the Bazaar kids were allowed to run wild as long as they didn't bother the adults, and of course, Cielle made sure to break that rule every single time, always pranking one person or the other. One regular victim was the Ringmaster, who, in Cielle's opinion, was a slimy, greedy git. She hated him with a passion, and her pranks on him seemed to always go a little better than she had expected - signs of the magic Filip had passed down to his daughter, although no one really stopped to think about it, choosing to assume that they had just gotten lucky.

Then she received her invitation from Durmstrang, and her whole world turned upside down. While Cielle was well aware of her father's heritage, she had never truly considered the possibility that she could be magical as well. Filip tried to convince her that it wasn't that bad, but the stubborn Cielle's mind was made up. She didn't want to leave the Bazaar to go to some stupid school, no matter how cool it was that she could do real, actual magic. It took a lot of convincing for Cielle to give in, and even more to convince the ringmaster to let her go.

Cielle disliked all of her classes, but she loathed Quidditch. Although she might've been good at it because of the things she learnt from the trapeze, she just couldn't see the point of it, and often made fun of Quidditch players mercilessly. Cielle signed up for this trip as a joke, hoping to get a few laughs out of it with some of her friends.

Is your character a Quidditch Player? No.

Approved

CIELLE JOHANSEN

STATS

Stamina 9 | Strength 9 | Evasion 9 | Wisdom 3 | Arcane Power 3 | Accuracy 9
[2 in Evasion from Statistically Revelant]

TOTAL - 42 [2 from Statistically Relevant]

FIRST YEAR︱Lovely Creature
WORD COUNT︱452

Reducio

Even as a baby, eyes would linger over her just a moment longer than the rest, taking in her appearance. She inherited her mother's dark eyes and soft, thick hair, and her father's height and strength, and no one could ever truly decide which parent she took after - it was as though Cielle was a perfect blend of both, although only in appearance, for her temper and behaviour was all her own.

As she grew older, Cielle became subject to jealousy. She was not the smartest or the richest or the kindest - yet she was always the centre of attention, the girl everyone stared at, especially at Durmstrang, where all the other girls seem to have the same face and persona. To begin with, Cielle disliked the attention. She does not care for her appearance. During her childhood, she wore whatever fit her, regardless of whether it was too small or too dirty, and her hair, despite being kept short for easy maintenence, was always knotted and unbrushed. The way she saw it, the attention she recieved for her looks was getting in the way of, well, everything, and tried to downplay her appearance in favour of maintaining good relationships with the rest of the circus children - however, by doing this, Cielle unwittingly made herself even more attractive.

It wasn't until she arrived at Durmstrang that she stopped trying to hide the fact that she was beautiful. Not only did the boys in her year send shy glances and confessions of love her way, but they also snuck her small gifts like pretty trinkets and flowers, snuck into her bag when they thought she wasn't looking or placed outside her dormitory in between classes or at night. Although Cielle initially scoffed and laughed in their faces, she later realised that there were advantages that came with her newfound situation. The boys helped her cheat on tests, aided her in pranks and covered for her when she skipped classes.

Although, to be completely honest, she isn't pretty, per se, but more so interesting to look at. However, that is exactly why it's so hard to tear your eyes away from her face. It's rather funny if you think about it, because Cielle should been appeared to be just like her peers. Apart from her tall, muscular build, her appearance is rather similar to theirs - her movements fluid and graceful, her facial proportions just about right, her legs long and slim. It's her personality that shines and makes her different - the rebellious twinkle in her eye, the reckless energy she radiates, the loud laughter that follows her around. It's that little bit extra that makes everyone stop and stare.

2nd year: Statistically Relevant [+2 evasion]
Application:

Reducio

Cielle always managed to get out of the way in time. When she played tag as a child, she always won, managing to dodge the outstretched hand with ease. Her friends wondered how she did it. Cielle was taller and faster, of course, so luck was on her side anyway - but even when they did catch up to her, the agile Cielle still managed to avoid getting tagged. When she was older, she began to challenge the older children and often fought with them - sometimes playfully, other times not. Cielle was strong, but they were stronger... and yet, she still managed to get out unscathed most of the time. Their punches always seemed to miss and connect with air rather than Cielle, which the young girl found rather amusing at times.

Her luck and agility also aided her in her pranks. Cielle's mischief-making has often resulted in an adult chasing after her with a frying pan in their hands, threatening to tell her parents (not that it would have done much, anyway. Carmen and Filip often turned a blind eye when it came to Cielle and her wild adventures.) The trapeze artist would only laugh in response and weave in and out of the caravans, even mocking the adults with sarcastic comments as they stumbled their way around the campsite to her. When they finally gave up chasing her and threw the frying pan, Cielle simply ducked or stepped to the side, watching it fly past her with a grin before leaping away to rejoin her friends and prank someone else.

It helped at Durmstrang, too. Cielle disliked Quidditch (she might have made a good Beater with her strength, but she didn't do well with team sports, especially when she wasn't the leader), but there was also Broom Racing, and that was where Cielle shone. It was perfect for her independant, competitive nature, a sport where it was every man for himself. That wasn't to say it was easy for her either. Sometimes the other racers would cast spells at her, hoping to knock her off her broom or into someone else, and Cielle was hopeless with magic, so it wasn't like she could defend herself either. She used her quick reflexes to her advantage - it was either get hit with a spell and lose, or dodge it and win.

Whether it was instinct or pure luck, Cielle didn't care. As long as she could win.

Word Count: 409

Is your character a Broom Racer?: YES
Is your character a Quidditch Player?: NO
Is your character a Duelist? NO

Approved

Name: Espen Kvalheim
School: Durmstrang
Year: Second Year
Age: 12 years old (January 30, 2008)
Race: Human
Blood Status: Pureblood

Appearance: Espen has dark brown hair that starts to curl as it increases in length. While young, he is a bit taller than other boys his age as a result of his genetics and familial history. With dark brown eyes and tanned skin, Espen looks out of place compared to others from his home country, having inherited these traits from his father. At 12, he would not be considered muscular, but the boy does have an athletic build, having spent his time active in the outdoors and training with various fighting styles.

Personality: Strong of mind but kind at heart, Espen has quickly gained affection of many other children in the community he was raised. While others from different regions of the world may find him to be hard to approach, once they gain his trust, he is a loyal and protective friend. Although he does not believe in personally sabotaging and destroying someone else's life, he will not go out of his way to help someone who has made themselves an enemy. Although dedicated to a task once he has deemed something worthy, school is not something he is particularly fond of, and struggles to stay motivated in his studies. This has caused grief at home from his parents, which has influenced Espen to take on two different personalities in life, one of servitude at home to avoid his parents anger, and a more open personality at school with his friends.

History: Espen is the son of Karalee Kvalheim and Pablo Esperanza. His parents met while his mother was on a trip to Mexico to both teach the methods of her ancestors from Scandinavia, and learn the ways of the native Mexican witch healers. During this time, Karalee met Pablo who was on a business trip and was entranced by her inherent beauty. Long distance, they began a courtship and after a few years of dating were married in Germany, where Karalee was working. Espen was born the 3rd and final child of the couple, his older siblings twin girls who are 4th year students at Durmstrang. He began to show signs of magic much earlier in life than his sisters, which he believed was a result of the anger that he had kept contained from the constant need to prove himself superior to his sisters. One evening after their meal when he was 7 years old, his mother was berating him for not performing well during his lessons with Master Ulrich Weber. Frustrated with what he already knew was poor swordsmanship during training, he was angry with his mother. As she continued to compare his abilities to those of his sisters, who "had more skills at his age than he did," his anger began to overflow. One may have expected him to scream in frustration, but he was eerily calm as he stood up from the table and trust his hand across the table mimicking the movement of throwing something towards his sister. His hand was devoid of any object however. From across the kitchen, a knife flew threw the air, striking one of his sisters in the shoulder on her dominant arm. Shock crossed his face, and he knew he had done wrong. His sister let out a blood-curdling scream. Life at home had never been the same for Espen after his first experience with magic.

Although Espen does not know Tyranni Whitethorn personally, he has heard much of her mother from his own mother who is a member of a rival tribe. Near the final years of school, tensions had finally broken and Avela and Karalee dueled. It was during this duel that they both experienced a joint vision of their future children encountering each other. Growing up Espen had heard many tales from his mother that Tyranni was to bring the end of the world, Ragnarok as their ancestors had spoken of in legend. He has long awaited the day when they would meet, having been informed by his mother (though likely wrongly due to personal animosity towards Avela), where he would be able to defeat her and prevent any doom that the other young girl may cause. As a result, and despite his distaste for school studies, he has found excitement in his opportunity to learn the Dark Arts believing his mother in his fate. As a result, he can often be found in the library late at night reading on as much as he can about all topics he can get ahold of at the time. This alone has prevented him from failing all his classes, as he does not exhibit much effort on studying the actual class texts.

Is your character a Quidditch Player? No

Follow-up June 11, 2020: APPROVED. But just to clarify, Espen cannot inherit any of his mother's seer abilities.

Espen Kvalheim

Stats:
Stamina: 10
Evasion: 10
Strength: 5
Wisdom: 0
Arcane Power: 0
Accuracy: 10

Abilities:
First Year:
Charmer

Reducio

At home under the critical eye of his mother, Espen would use his charm to gain the favor of his father. Was it his cute looks that pushed his father to side with him? Maybe it was the fact that he was the only other male in the house. Yet despite that there was always something about the boy that his family could not place. When visiting the elders of his mothers community, the matron mother had told his parents that something obscured him, affecting her ability to clearly read his aura. This was the first indication that there was something different about Espen.

Espen had never had a particularly difficult time making friends in his life. There was something about him that many found hard to resist. He never fully understood why this happened to him, as growing up he spent most of his life in the shadow of his older twin sisters. Despite this, he never failed to garner the affection of his fellow classmates, his first time understanding a bit what the old lady had spoken of to his parents.

Upon arriving at Durmstrang Institute, Espen quickly drew many to him. When he spoke, others listened. This charm helped him in school, as Espen frequently procrastinated on his schoolwork until the last minute. Although he was not dim minded, he would have failed all classes had he not been able to convince the other students around him to provide him with their answers for homework. The only classes he was prepared to put hard, dedicated work towards was ones that taught about the Dark Arts.

Despite this, Espen remained sharp witted, never fearing that he would be asked to leave Durmstrang Institute. He was confident that after experiencing how other students came to his aid, fumbled with their words around him, or managed to collide into others when passing him in the hallway, he would be able to convince any professors to let him remain at school.

Despite his charm, Espen only managed to keep a few loyal friends around him. This was not a flaw in his character, indicating an underlying personality flaw such as arrogance, toxicity, or betrayal of acquaintances, but rather was an indication that Espen was one who found little importance in the quantity of friends one had around themselves, and focused more on the quality of friends. Of those who he chose to remain as his close confidants, the charm of the young boy made them fiercely loyal and protective of the boy. Should any confrontation happen with another student, his friends were not far behind to support him. Was this due to his ability to instill devotion amongst those students based on some other factor, or due to his charming nature? While Espen was never quite sure himself after realizing that many people fell for his charm, he did not question the dedication his friends showed towards him.
WC: 487

Desired quidditch position: Chaser

Approved

5/18

Durmstrang iNPC Update

Stats:
Stamina: 10
Evasion: 10
Strength: 9
Wisdom: 1
Arcane Power: 1
Accuracy: 10

+5 due to graduation from first year; +1 from quidditch win
Total: 41

Abilities:
First Year | Charmer
Second Year:
Fearless

Reducio

Espen had always been a bit of an adrenaline junkie. A constant worry for his parents, he often ran fearlessly into danger. Whether it was the time he jumped into a pool as a small child before he knew how to swim, managed to climb onto the roof with his mothers broom, hoping to fly (only to be caught at the last minute by his mother when she grabbed his shirt at the nape of his neck), or the time he was "lost" in the woods for two days. In fact, it was the time in the woods that he realized just how fearless he could be.

At the age of 9, the boy had grown bored and weary of being at home. He packed up a bag with some snacks, a bottle of water, a small lighter, his trusted sling and a handful of round stone rocks to serve as "ammo" and set off into the woods. He was familiar with the woods. Many times had he wandered through them with his father, but never had he gone alone. His mother would have never allowed it. The woods were alive with sound. Small critters scampered across the forest floor and through the trees, birds chirped, and there was a light breeze. The light that had once shone through the treetops was beginning to dim, and he decided it was time to turn back for home.

Lost in his thoughts, the boy did not realize at first that the woods had gone silent. He paused listening, only to hear...nothing. Not a sound could be heard. No crickets chirping, no birds singing, no more critters running through the trees and on the floor. Even the wind appeared to fear blowing. Eerie and haunted, a shiver went down his body. He proceeded cautiously, wary. A sound to his left startled him, and he looked over to see an oval shaped, green, spiked object. About to approach the object, a sudden shriek sounded behind him. Turning around he witnessed a beast unfurl its wings. Swooping Evil. He had heard of them before, but didn't know they lived so close to where he resided. Within a split second, the boy knew what he had to do. Weaving through narrow trees, hoping to throw off the creature, only to realize that a second one had joined him. Of course, they reside in a cocoon when not flying, he thought to himself. Scolding his idiocy, he quickly turned to the left where he knew a small stream with caves just large enough to fit a young boy were located. Step, step, step, JUMP! He leaped at the edge of the stream after emerging from the trees, just barely missing the other shore, stumbling into the river, his shirt torn on a rock. Scrambling his way back to his feet, he crawled into one of the caves right as the two Swooping Evils emerged from the forest.

Adrenaline rushed through him, yet his mind was clear. No fear prevented him from thinking straight. He gathered his sling and rocks from his pack, aiming true. The first stone struck the closest beast in the face. It roared with fury. He continued to sling rocks at the beasts, striking their wings, which he hoped were the most vulnerable areas. "You are going to have to try harder than that if you want my brain for supper!" Eventually the creatures, bruised but not severely injured, left the area.

The boy waited for another 30 minutes until he was sure the area was clear. Emerging from the cave, it was now well past sunset and darkness had set in. He managed to find a branch in the moonlight that he wrapped a piece of his torn shirt around and light on fire as a makeshift torch. Gathering a few stones, he headed back towards home. It was not long before he could feel that "aura" again. Cautiously, he took small steps, aware of how much sound he was making. Peaking from behind a tree, he could see them. Both resting in their green cocoon shape. As silently as possible, he took out two stones, wrapped them in some of his torn shirt, and lit them on fire. In rapid succession, he cast the stones towards the two beasts, setting the grass on fire. As the flames quickly surrounded the monsters, their opened their wings, rage-filled screams filling the air. Flames caught onto the delicate features of the exposed animals. He stepped out from behind the tree, whistling so they might spot him, and without glancing back he walked away.

Espen emerged from the woods around mid-day the next day. His parents frantic, they embraced him filled with relief, and then quickly scolded him. He was grounded for two months, but that mattered little to the boy. He realized that he faced down two beasts only told to him to be a creature of nightmares and survived. He would no longer fear anything.

Full Name: Kolya Dimitriyevich Mikhailov
In Russian: Коля Дмитриевич Михайлов
Age: 13
School Year: 3rd year
Date of Birth: January 19th 2007
Blood Status: Pure-blood

Appearance

What stands out isn’t just his ash-blond curly hair or his sharp icy blue eyes, but the left eyepatch he has due to a terrible magical incident. His skin color is a pale complexion due to his family background being predominantly European and the cold weather in Russia. His height is 156 cm, slightly taller than the average height of 12 years old. He is also physically well-built that shows years of training from his father. His expression often looked emotionless and uninterested in most things around him. Like his mother, Kolya has a beauty mark underneath his lips on the left.

Personality

When first seeing Kolya, he will stare at you with his icy blue eyes that might give you the chills. He is quiet, cold, and always vigilant. Nobody will believe that in the past, he used to be a timid and gentle boy who once tried his best to please his family, hoping that one day his parents would show at least a tiny bit of affection for him but what happened last year installed bitterness in his heart. He would keep himself distant from others but truth is, Kolya doesn’t want to repeat the same mistake again, getting hurt or being tricked by anyone.

History

The Mikhailovs is the most prestigious Pure-blood family in Russia and throughout the generations, they worked for the Russian Magical Law Enforcement Squad as Hit-Wizards. While the Févres is one of the richest Pure-blood families in France and Alchemy was their greatest passion. In order to remain their Bloodline pure, the two families arranged a marriage between their eldest children, Dimitri Mikhailov, and Marina Févre. There was no love but only a sense of duty and partnership just to keep their belief in the “Blood Purity” strong.

A few years after their marriage, their one and only son Kolya Mikhailov was born on a blizzard night on January 19th in Ischewsk, the capital city of Udmurtia, Russia. Marina almost lost her life while giving birth to Kolya, and the Healer later informed them that Marina’s condition would no longer be allowed to have another child. This harsh news caused their relationship to be strained but they did make an agreement that both would protect Kolya and would train him to become one of the most powerful Wizards who can bring honor to the Mikhailov family.

Being the only heir to the House, Kolya has been homeschooled by his parents and wasn’t even allowed to leave home without their permission. Having a strict father who was a Hit-Wizard and a stoic mother who was an Alchemist, he had been taught in both combat training, Wizarding knowledge, and etiquette from a very young age. Living in such an isolated environment as a small kid, Kolya grew up to be very lonely and his parents never really showed much affection towards him. All they did was teaching him lessons and once the lessons were over, his father would leave for a mission and his mother would go back to her room to continue her Alchemy research. The only person who ever cared for Kolya was a House elf named Nika and he saw her as a motherly figure.

When Kolya got his acceptance letter from Durmstrang on his 10th Birthday, it was to be expected by his parents since his first magic happened when Kolya was 5 years old, he accidentally froze a rose like an ice sculpture when feeling very upset. Somehow, Kolya saw this as a great opportunity to finally see the outside world and meet other children about the same age as him.

During his first year in Durmstrang, it was very difficult for Kolya to make friends due to his lack of social experience but a certain Half-blood student who was a few years older approached him and wanted to be his friend. At first, it was all good until Kolya found out the cruel truth that they were only pretending and their main goal was to watch how a Pure-blood could be manipulated by a Half-blood with fake kindness. Anger took over Kolya, he then challenged them to a duel but an incident happened that caused him to lose his left eye by a Blasting Curse. Kolya would have got expelled if his father didn’t reluctantly use his position and power. He was able to find proof and shifted the blame to the Half-blood student that it was all their scheme.

Ever since that painful incident, Kolya changed into a completely different person. He became a cold and bitter person who had trust issues. But perhaps his coldness towards people was a form of protecting himself not getting hurt once again. Kolya then recently joined the Quidditch team, just another way to prove his worth to his family and also to show the public that he wasn't the weak boy he used to be when he was a first-year.

OOC Note: Kolya is Griseldis's distant cousin but they don't personally know each other yet. You can see their family tree [click here].

1.) Is your character a Broom Racer?: No. (maybe next time)
2.) Is your character a Quidditch Player?: No.
3.) Is your character a Duelist?: No.

Approved

Statistics, Abilities, & Items

Stamina: 7 | Evasion: 10 | Strength: 10 | Wisdom: 2 | Arcane Power: 2 | Accuracy: 10
[41 stat points]

Broom: Silver Arrow
[+3 to every stat during Quiddtich Game]
Quiddtich Role: Beater

Year 1 ~Evasive Maneuvers ~

Reducio

Being the only heir to the Mikhailov family, it was unavoidable for Kolya to escape his own fate to become a Hit-Wizard just like all the rest of the other Mikhailovs before him. As a Hit-Wizard, they needed to be constantly vigilant because compare to an Auror, their jobs were way more dangerous and violent. They must be trained to deal with highly dangerous combat situations, such as high-risk arrests, riot controls and hostage situations. So before going to Durmstrang, his father began to train Kolya when he only turned 6 years old.

Although, his father didn’t go too overboard with his training from the start since Kolya was still a very young child. But aside being taught how to fight in combat, there was one training that almost became his nightmare. He was expected to have excellent dodging skills against all the attacks that would ever come at him and it later became a daily training for him to master it.

Every afternoon, a personal wizarding trainer that was hired by his father would give Kolya different kinds of training. He would be forced to dodge all the enchanted leather balls but in the beginning, Kolya wasn’t quick enough and got hit often. His father wasn’t very happy with the result and even ordered to not stop the training until Kolya could successfully dodge all the leather balls. However, Kolya did figure it out that he should rely on the noises of the objects that were coming towards his direction and how he should be extremely focusing his eyes (before he lost one) on the incoming objects, any small distraction could really lead to an instant failure. That was the lesson he learned from the hardest and the most painful way.

Despite Kolya’s torturous training his father had put him under, he somehow managed to remain generally hopeful and didn’t seem too psychologically affected by the pain he had endured, demonstrating some sort of strength in him that he himself didn’t realize yet. And because of that hope and strength within him, took Kolya months of harsh training to finally enhanced his reflexes.

After being accepted in Durmstrang, a terrible incident occurred during his first year where he permanently lost his left eye. Being forced into such a huge disadvantage, it didn’t discourage him and quite the opposite…it pushed him to train even harder. He now understood that if he needed to survive he must always stay on alert to any possible danger around him. To be able to evade the sudden assault coming his way and defend himself from harm.

Word Count: 433

Year 2 ~Broken Broomshaft ~

Reducio

Losing his left eye made his daily life not so easy, but then again, it didn’t really change much before the incident. Kolya was always a lone wolf, at home, and even at Durmstrang. Most students kept their distance away from him but there were still a few other students who were quite curious about him but he no longer desired to make any new friends, nor would he interact with any Half-bloods or so he thought.

After the incident, he trained himself even harder, and later on, it really built up a lot of stress within him. Of course, his face often showed no emotion so nobody could understand how he really felt. Breaking things became a habit of his own as a way to unleash his anger and all the stress he had that was forcefully kept inside of him. Every time when Kolya was in a bad mood, he would go somewhere more private where no one would disturb him and used a bat to hit old trees or unwanted objects around him, literally destroying the objects with no mercy with every hit he made with his bat. Kolya might not realize that doing so somehow helped him growing some muscles in his arms and gained a lot of strength. His father was aware of it but he saw it as a very convenient practice for his son to be stronger and he soon had an idea what would be the best way for Kolya to show his strength in front of the public.

When Kolya graduated a year higher becoming a 2nd-year student, it was expected when his father demanded that he must join the Quidditch Team as another way to prove his worth to the family. However, he only wanted his son to pick one specific Quiddtich role that relied a lot on strength and that role was being a Beater, a role that must hit their target with a Beater’s bat.

Kolya didn’t mind joining the Quidditch Team, however, he did think that it would be a great opportunity to show that he was not the weakling from last year anymore. In the beginning, when he applied himself to join as a Beater, most of the players were skeptical of Kolya due to him having only one available eye to see things and they believed that it might become an obstacle during the game that could jeopardize their victory. But they all took it back when Kolya was able to demonstrate his ruthless strength during an unofficial game.

Word Count: 425

Stats: Approved
Abilities: Approved

EDIT: Only corrected the Russian middle name, big thanks to Meenauh

Character: Yefim Rumyantsev
Year: Second (35 points)
Broom: School broom

Stats:
Sta: 6
Eva: 5
Str: 10
Wis: 3
AP: 4
Acc: 7

Ability: pending
Desired position: Chaser

Application for ability "Martial Artist"

Reducio

Life was hard for everyone, so it was always a good idea to be able to defend yourself. Of course there was magic, but not many wizards in Russia settled for magic alone. Durmstrang was the school that most of the wizards in Moscow graduated from anyway, so if they weren't scholars, or dipped out after a few years to get into other vocations, they were martial casters. It was common knowledge, though not every family was as well-off as Yefim's. That was, while he was still growing up, before his father was taken away. While his mother had studied the Dark Arts, her and his father both expected him to keep up with physical training, though they had different reasons for wanting so.

Even if they hadn't specifically encouraged he learn to defend himself, the world would emphasize the need for it well enough. He grew up in the capital, so it wasn't as though he was blind to the dog-eat-dog nature of humanity. He had friends from school show up with black eyes and bloody lips, and saw hit and runs on his way out of the grocer. There was an overwhelming sense amongst the young future wizards of Russia that without magic to defend themselves, they would have to build their muscle and learn how to throw a punch, before it was too late and they became victims themselves.

With that in mind, Yefim fell in with a certain crowd. His mother always told him to attach himself to people that looked strong, so he simply followed her words without a second thought. They were the kids who taught the others why they should be getting stronger themselves, it wasn't hard for Yefim to find them. They weren't bad kids, but they knew how to hit fast and hard. They weren't maniacs, and they weren't cruel. In fact, they spent most of their time having a laugh and keeping each other company. Still they had a goal: they defended their right to monopolize the school's gym training equipment after hours.

There was an initiation of course, though it wasn't written down anywhere. You had to know someone, they had to trust you, and you had to show you weren't scared of throwing down at a moment's notice. After all, once you were a part of the group, you'd be expected to defend the gym as well. In return, they showed Yefim what they knew about working out properly, and he had full access to the equipment whenever he wanted.

When he started, he thought he was simply doing his due diligence, but once he arrived at Durmstrang he realized the opportunity had been an exceptional one. Most of the kids his age just threw punches without knowing how to extend their arm properly, or how to keep from hurting themselves in a fight. Just as well, he liked being better than others, like he was meant to be.

Word count: 491

Stats: Approved.
Abilities: Approved.