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[quote][quote]Is your character a Broom Racer? NO
Is your character a Quidditch Player? YES (Beater)
Is your character a Duelist? NO[/quote]

[quote][center][b]Stats[/b] 
Stamina: 11 | Evasion: 9 | Strength: 12 | Wisdom: 4 | ArcPower: 3 | Accuracy: 13[/center][/quote]

[center][url=https://hogwarts.io/viewtopic.php?p=752565#p751928]+1[/url] [Broom Racing], [url=https://hogwarts.io/viewtopic.php?p=775004#p775004]+1[/url] [Quidditch][/center]

[quote][b][center]Abilities
[/center][/b]
[icon]quidditch-r[/icon] [b]Broken Broomshaft[/b]
[reducio][quote]Monet has always been athletic and rowdy, often playing too rough with those she grew up with. [i]Too bad[/i], she'd think. [i]Suck it up, you'll be fine eventually.[/i] Football, tag, wrestling, it didn't mater. All of them usually ended up with one of her friends running to their parent in tears and Monet celebrating a victory (before being scolded by her parents) 

Monet also has never understood that brooms in the wizarding world are expensive. No matter how many times it had been explained to her, it just never got into her head that these were basically [i]machines[/i], not what you use to clean your floors. And so, Monet wasn't ever careful when she flew. She tugged, she dragged, she dropped every broom she used. It surely would be easy to replace, no? Couldn't another wizard just... Make another one? 

And so Monet's disregard for people's pain tolerance and their brooms turned her into a beast of a quidditch beater.

From the moment Monet learned what quidditch was, she knew she wanted to be a beater. Beaters, the menaces of the sky. Gliding through the edges of the pitch, their eyes scanning for the right opportunity to come. They were the heavy-hitters, the ones to be sure you were watching for. The ones to fear. The bat, the thrill of whacking a bludger towards an opponent at full-force, it was just [i]too[/i] fun. The day she made the quidditch team was the best day of her whole first year.

As time went on, and Monet became better acquainted with the sport, she found herself hitting even harder. Flying more recklessly towards opponents. Aiming for not just the person, but the [i]broom[/i], the achilles heel of the sport. She found herself playing with such abandon that sometimes [i]she[/i] would end up with more bruises than her targets at the end of the game. But it didn't matter if they won, did it?

The first time she split someone's broom was [i]glorious[/i]. It was a perfect hit, a killing blow to the opposing chaser. As they were tipped over by the impact, he [i]crack![/i] of the bludger to the wood of the broom could be heard throughout the pitch. She didn't understand why the guy was so [i]mad[/i] at her after the fact, talking about how long it would take him to fix his broom. Surely he could just buy a new one, right?[/quote]

[quote]WC: 411[/quote][/reducio]
[icon]star-r[/icon] [b]Lovely Creature[/b]
[reducio][quote]"Congratulations, you have a healthy baby girl!"

Natania Gallay-Navarro's heart leapt at those seven words. After a long and strenuous 8 hours of active labor, those were [i]exactly[/i] the words she wanted to hear. Of course her first joy that the baby was healthy, but her immediate second thought was that her wish had finally come true. A [i]girl[/i], a baby [i]girl[/i]. Natania knew she and her husband weren't having any more children after this, and though she would love them no matter what, she was hoping and praying for a beautiful baby girl. At last, an excuse to go shopping for precious little outfits that would make her baby shine. As she held her only daughter for the first time, she thought that this baby was the most beautiful of her children (though she'd never admit it to the others), and she decided to switch the girl's first and middle names. Her name would be Monet, a work of art named after the artist.

Well, even though it did result in some [i]adorable[/i] baby photos, Monet didn't need anything special to draw people's eye to her. She simply was a captivating person, a radiant human, a lovely creature.

There's a subtle beauty to Monet, an effortless allure that she's always had. Her gaze rested soft, her eyes capturing rays of light ad capturing the flecks and depths of color within them. Her hair, always lush and healthy, framed her face in [i]just[/i] the right place no matter how she wore it. Her voice is confident, self-assured, as if the foundations of her thoughts give strength to the sound of her words.

The nature of Monet's interests as a child meant that she had a lot of male friends as she grew up. And while it was not the case with every friend, many of them would often bring her flowers at practice, or try to chat up her father to make a good impression. This was usually met by a confused but genuine thanks from Monet, and a quick changing of the subject at hand.

Monet's presence is beautifully delicate and fierce at the same time. Her outgoing and, recently, somewhat rebellious personality combined with her physique confuses and intrigues many. Wether through her looks, her personality, her voice, or simply the presence she brought with her, there was no denying it. Monet Gallay-Navarro was simply a lovely creature.[/quote]

[quote]WC: 405[/quote][/reducio]
[icon]spider-r[/icon] [b]Terrible Presence[/b]
[reducio][quote]Monet has not been a "pleasant" person to be around for a few years now. She was a bit rude, a bit stand-offish, and a bit stubborn. When she was at home, it seemed as if this magic school her parents had agreed to send her to was accomplishing their goal of mellowing her out and getting their precious little girl back. How stupid they must have been to believe such an obvious facade, a mere placation to their desires.

But what was actually happening was very, very different. What was first a small seed of distaste and distrust planted by a certain Mirales Correa had begun to grow, to sprout into a bitter hatred. As the weeks turned into months, and the months into years (just two, to be exact), Monet's animosity flourished like a noxious weed in her heart. The once-minor grievances she held against ungrateful muggle-borns had transformed into an overwhelming resentment that tainted her thoughts and emotions. This bitterness crept and entwined itself like tenacious tendrils, ensnaring every facet of her being and distorting her perception of the world and those around her.

As dramatic as that sounds, Monet was still only a teenager, and thus these "poisoned thoughts and emotions" only resulted in shouting matches and being largely unliked by her classmates. But everything seems like a life-or-death scenario at that age, does it not?

Far from mellowing her out and bringing back her former self, Monet's experiences were shaping her into something entirely different. Her interactions with her fellow students and even some members of the faculty had become laced with palpable animosity.

Oh yes, it was palpable. What had once been a rebellious response to a difficult transition had now become intrinsic components of Monet's personality. No longer did she stare people down to "show them you're not afraid", but it had become an instinctual reaction. It was simply second nature. Bickering with others was had devolved from the desire to be a mere contrarian, she derived satisfaction from belittling them and reminding them of their inferior status. Reminding them where they stood. 

Put her in a line-up of teenagers and it's clear that whatever Monet is experiencing is much, much more than a phase. Her presence and aura has simply been changed, altered. She was growing from a small, innocent puppy into a rabid dog, eacer to bark and chomp. Point her in a direction, just wait and see what will happen. What a terrible, terrible thing.[/quote]

[quote]WC: 415[/quote][/reducio]
[icon]cog-s[/icon] [b]Muggle Condition[/b]
[reducio][quote]It didn’t matter how much she hated it. It didn’t matter how hard she tried to leave it behind.

It didn’t matter.

Because at the end of the day, Monet was a mudblood.

It was this past year when it became the most obvious to her, Boe was off doing his own things, and had far less time for 13-year-old Monet. She needed to venture out on her own, find her own tricks to pass her classes, her own time to practice spells.

She was awful at spells, good lord. More often than not Monet would spend time combing through her room trying to find something as opposed to casting a simple summoning charm. For Monet, even a "simple" charm would take a few tries to get right. Seeing her peers unlock new joys through magic made her feel a bit estranged, a tad out of place, a touch of unbelonging.

The other students seemed to cast spells effortlessly, flicking their wands with grace and precision, while Monet struggled with every incantation. It didn't matter how much extra reading teachers assigned the young beater. If she bothered to read it at all, the words seemed to blur together, and the instructions, no matter how clearly written, felt like an impenetrable wall.

Monet began to feel the weight of her inadequacy. It wasn’t just about the magic; it was about her place in this world. She was surrounded by young witches and wizards who had grown up with magic, who had parents that guided them through the complexities of the wizarding world. She didn’t have that. Her parents were muggles, wonderful but ordinary, and they couldn’t understand the struggles she faced.

When Monet returned home at the end of the year, when her parents picked her up in their new sedan, when they took her and her brothers out for McDonalds, she couldn’t deny that she felt a sense of home.

This was the world where she grew up, the world that influenced most of her decisions, especially when it came to quidditch. God, if half of the chasers on the Hogwarts team had picked up a damn soccer ball once in their lives, or a lacrosse stick or SOMETHING, they’d be better for it. Monet sure was.

In fact, she began to realize that many things in her muggle life were simply easier. Instant communication, portable music, fewer layers of clothes to wear, no dodging owls swooping through hallways. Oh god, did this feel normal? Was she homesick for the muggle world?

Monet knew her kind didn’t deserve magic. It was obvious, she could hardly use the damn thing. So then… Would it be better just to leave it all behind for the world she knew so much better?[/quote]

[quote]WC: 459[/quote][/reducio]

[/quote][/quote]

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[b]Is your character a Broom Racer?[/b] YES
[b]Is your character a Quidditch Player?[/b] NO
[b]Is your character a Duelist?[/b] NO
[b]Stats:[/b] STA 7 | EVA 11 | STR 10 | WIS 8 | ARC 1 | ACC 12 [revelio]Wins: [url=https://hogwarts.io/viewtopic.php?p=827318#p827318]⊛[/url][url=https://hogwarts.io/viewtopic.php?p=879944#p879944]⊛[/url][url=https://hogwarts.io/viewtopic.php?p=925022#p925022]⊛[/url][url=https://hogwarts.io/viewtopic.php?t=32491&start=50#p995955]⊛[/url][/revelio]
[b]Abilities:[/b]
1. Perfectionist (411/400)[reducio]Javier really enjoyed his first month in Castelobruxo, his new school. He learnt so many things in school. Before his enrollment in Castelobruxo, he didn't know that he was a wizard. But later after his first instance of magic, his mother told him that he was a wizard like her. It confused him for some moments until a macaw brought him a letter from the school on Carnival's day. He was very excited when receiving the letter.

He asked his mother to tell him about Castelobruxo. His mom, Sophia, told him everything, from how to go to the school until what activities she had done there. Javier was fascinated by the story his mother told. After that, he fully accepted that he was a wizard and couldn't wait to go to the Castelobruxo. 

His days in school were very great. He made many friends and enjoyed his classes. And he actually did great in many classes. One day, he was in Charms class. The professor taught the students about Dancing Feet Spell, a very fun spell for first year. They were taught about the spell from its history until the charms properties. And the fun part of the class began, a practice session. The professor paired the students.

First pair was doing the practice in front of the class. Javier looked at them with quills in his right hand. He wrote everything from his observation of the pair, every mistake and every move without missing any details. He did the same thing when the next pair were practicing in front of the class. When it was his time to do the practice, he read all the notes quickly then went to the front of the class. 

With a wand in his hand, he was ready to cast the spell. He remembered all the notes he had written before and made sure that he did all the things he must do before casting the spell, imagination, wand movement, and clear incantation. The spell hit his practice partner successfully! The partner uncontrollably danced and made all the students in the classroom laugh. The professor then cast General Counter Spell to Javier's partner and he finally stopped. The professor praised him that his spell was perfectly cast. Javier was very happy receiving that praise.

After that event, Javier always made sure everything he would do before doing them, resulting in almost all of the things he had made were well made, including the pranks.[/reducio]
2. Unfettered Flight (410/400)[reducio]Studying in Castelobruxo really gave Javier the opportunity to develop his interests and hobbiee. One day, he joined an extracurricular that its main activity was flying on a broom. The first time he saw someone flying, he was very excited and was very eager to try to fly. Then he learn to fly. For the first time, it was very hard for him. And even if he failed a few times, he managed to fly on a broom.

Flying was really his passion in school. Everytime he had an extracurricular class, he always practiced flying. He would be the first one who arrived first and the last one who left the class. He always offered himself to help clean the brooms. 

In his early weeks of his first year, he started to fly slowly. He learnt to keep his balance and focus on the broom. It was very hard at the start, resulting his falling for many times. But he didn't give up. He always tried to practice the balance and focus with slow flying until he managed to do it successfully in three weeks. Then he upgraded his flying skill by adding the speed. With the Castelobruxo's environment and his dedication, Javier's flying skill was increased.

However, just flying on a broom started to bore him. With the limitation of school brooms, the flying speed couldn't be increased anymore. He felt the stagnation of his flying skill development after he couldn't do anything. However, it didn't occur for a long time. A friend of his introduced broom racing. His friend asked him to watch the school's broom race. Javier agreed and they watched the race together. It was Javier's first time to watch such a race. With many obstacles and disasters in the air, Javier couldn't take his eyes off the race. It made him put his interest in broom racing. 

After watching the race, Javier started to practice again to increase his flying skills. Not just adding the speed, he also added other actions like spellcasting and throwing objects. Like most of the learners, he had a hard time controlling the speed while doing other actions. However, he still had his persistence to practice. 

And his efforts paid off. In the last month of the school, he could control the speed of the broom while he was doing other actions like casting spells, drinking potions, or throwing objects. He also tried to apply to Castelobruxo's broom racing team.[/reducio]
3. Steady Flyer (447/400)[reducio]Broomstick and Javier Aguillar are inseparable. Javier always carries his broomstick wherever he goes. And what he did right after class ended was fly with his broomstick, whether it was to practice for broom racing or just fly casually to enjoy the view of the Amazon forest from the sky.

His parents knew about his love of flying and broom racing. There isn't a day without talking about broom racing when the holidays arrive. Seeing this, Javier's parents, Juan and Sophia, decided to buy him a broomstick. Not half-hearted, they immediately bought the latest model Silver Arrow broomstick, which they imported from England, for their only son. Of course, this made Javier happy. He immediately tried to fly on the broom several times and tried to control it.

Javier took the Silver Arrow to school to show it off to his friends. How arrogant he looked when he showed it off, with a smug face. That's Javier, a spoiled boy from a very rich family.

Of course, he also uses it at school for his routine broom racing practice. Although, of course, he still had difficulty controlling his broomstick. At least, he didn't fly as badly as the first day when he just got his Silver Arrow. Javier is not a child who gives up easily. He continued to practice flying without stopping. He didn't spend a day without flying. His tenacity is commendable for a spoiled brat.

When he started to master his Silver Arrow, Javier began to increase the difficulty of the training. He flew into some easy broom racing obstacles. Several times he was hit by tree branches, entangled in vines, crashed into walls, and injured here and there. But that didn't break his determination to master them. Javier continues to fly and train non-stop. Maybe you could say he is a flying maniac.

He got the feeling of easy obstacles. How happy he was when his success rate in overcoming several obstacles increased. He wrote a small note about what needs to be paid attention to when going through some of these obstacles. And of course, he wasn't satisfied just there. He tried an obstacle that was a level more difficult than the obstacle he had previously mastered.

Tighter trees, more tangled vines, narrower walls, and of course, some thorny plants that didn't hesitate to hurt his skin. He tried to master everything with his beloved Silver Arrow. He dived right and left, performing certain maneuvers. Of course, he experienced failure, but his success rate was getting better day by day. That's how Javier Aguillar finally mastered the easy-medium obstacles in broom racing. He is quite ready to conquer his broom racing competition.[/reducio]

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[quote][center][b]Is your character a Broom Racer?[/b] NO
[b]Is your character a Quidditch Player?[/b] NO
[b]Is your character a Duelist?[/b] YES
[b]Stats:[/b]
[size=90]STA [i]11[/i] | EVA [i]12[/i] | STR [i]6[/i] | WIS [i]11[/i] | ARC [i]10[/i] | ACC [i]13[/i][/size]
[size=75](60 from sixth year + 3 from [url=https://hogwarts.io/viewtopic.php?p=373363#p373363]Aly's Quidditch win 1[/url] & [url=[url=https://hogwarts.io/viewtopic.php?p=453812#p453812]win 2[/url] & [url=https://hogwarts.io/viewtopic.php?t=32477&view=unread#p1003276]win 3[/url])[/size]
[b]Wand Details:[/b] 
[i]Thunderbird tail feather core[/i] - Once you reach 30% of your max health you gain + 2 AP, + 2 Evasion and + 2 Acc. If you are healed above 30% of your max health you lose those bonuses
[i]Cypress wood [/i]- Pairs well with those that are gallant and unselfish. Flavor: Even if it is not the most immediate ancestor, you have a remote ancestor that is quite famed for their heroism (no canon characters). Whoever this person is, they would be someone you made up and they would be someone the average wizard (not muggleborn) would know
[i]33 cm (~13 in), unyielding[/i][/center][/quote]
[quote][b][center][size=110]Abilities[/size][/center][/b]
[b]The Muggle Condition[/b]
[revelio](WC: 1,153)[/revelio]
[reducio][size=90]When Moisés Macedo walked out of school with a bloody nose, his big sister Manu knew something needed to be done.

Moisés was small - shorter and skinnier than his older-by-five-minutes twin brother, Macario, which always made him a target for bigger, older boys. Manu knew this, and Macario knew this, too, though he was in different classes from his twin, as Moisés was about five times smarter even though he was about five times smaller. Manu had had to be Moisés' protector for his entire five (nearly six) years of life, and she had done so with gusto. After all, if there was one thing that Manu Macedo couldn't stand, it was a bully.

She greeted her brother outside of his [i]jardim[/i] with a spotless white handkerchief that was soon spotted in blood, holding the cloth to his nose and pinching the bridge to help the bleeding stop. [color=#147628]"Ay, Moisés, what did you do to yourself?"[/color] she mumbled in their native Portuguese, taking the handkerchief away from her baby brother's nose for just a second to take the boy's little oval glasses off of his face. Moisés had a habit of breaking the lenses, and Manu was [i]not[/i] going to be the reason their mother Mira had to fix them again tonight at home. Tucking the glasses into the side pocket of the boy's little backpack, which was nearly half his size, Manu resumed her duty of soaking up her brother's blood with the red-dotted kerchief. [color=#147628]"Did you run into a pole with your nose buried in a book again?"[/color] 

Bleary-eyed and bloody-nosed, Moisés shook his head no. In Manu's defence, it had been a perfectly reasonable question - taking after their parents' academic side while Macario tended towards athletics and sports, Moisés had a tendency to not look where he was going whilst walking.

Manu frowned. [color=#147628]"What is it, then? Did somebody push you?"[/color] She used one finger from the handkerchief-holding hand to tilt her brother's head up so her hazel eyes could stare into his dark brown ones. [color=#147628]"Don't tell me someone pushed you, [i]maninho[/i]. Wait, no, if they did, do tell me."[/color]

After a few beats of awkward silence, Moisés finally mumbled out a name - [i]Afonso Guimarães[/i].

Manu knew the name Guimarães. One of her elder classmates at her second-level [i]ensino fundamental[/i] right down the road shared the same surname - a tall, burly boy with curly dark hair by the name of Davi Guimarães, who Manu [i]also[/i] knew to have a younger sibling who attended the same [i]jardim[/i] as Moisés, because he was part of the group of eleven-year-olds to fourteen-year-olds who would walk from the [i]ensino[/i] down to the [i]jardim[/i] at the end of the school day to pick someone up. Manu glanced around for Davi, searching for the trademark arrogant smirk and black curls, only to find him on the opposite side of the walkway, roughly grabbing a little boy's hand with an accompanying eye-roll. As Manu's hazel gaze watched, taking it all in, Davi yanked the little boy - who was still larger than Moises, close to the size of Manu herself actually - by the hand, causing the child to stumble and trip over his big brother's much-larger strides.

Shoving her handkerchief into Moisés' hand, muttering to him to keep pressure on the bleeding, Manu quickly stood and made a beeline for the Guimarães brothers. They were turning the corner, and Manu's shorter legs pumped to catch up, until finally she was in arm's reach of Davi, and she reached out one hand to tap him lightly on the bicep. 

Davi Guimarães whirled on her. [color=#7160f0]"What?"[/color]

The boy was much taller and about a year older than Manu, towering over her with arms as thick as her neck and a glowering, dark stare. But despite the terrifying figure in front of her, Manu stood her ground, folding her arms over her chest. She recognised a bully when she saw one, and most bullies had bullies themselves.

Afonso Guimarães was Moisés' bully. But Davi Guimarães was Afonso's. And, if Manu had her way, she would be Davi's. 

[color=#147628]"Tell your little brother to keep his hands off of mine,"[/color] she barked outwards and upwards at Davi, staring him down. [color=#147628]"Moisés came out with a bloody nose today, says your little rat pushed him. If he ever - and I mean [i]ever[/i] - puts his hands on Moisés again, he'll have more to worry about than what [i]ensino[/i] he's going to next year or what snack to pick at lunchtime."[/color]

It took a moment, but Davi blinked at her and laughed in her face. [color=#7160f0]"Go home, Manuela,"[/color] he said dismissively, putting one big, callused hand on her shoulder and shoving her away. [color=#7160f0]"Your brother probably started it anyway. What Afonso does at school is none of your business."[/color]

Manu stumbled back slightly from the force of the push, planting one foot behind her to stop herself from falling. If only she were at Castelobruxo already, learning spells - she could put this idiot on the floor without even touching him if she knew how to cast magic the way her mother did! But since there was yet no controlled magic, Manu - who was seeing red, for how [i]dare[/i] he put his hands on her like she was some little plaything to be pushed and shoved around - balled her hands into fists. Steam would've come out of her ears if possible, and she needed a way to blow it off.

Davi had turned back and was walking away now, but Manu followed him; winding up a swing, she called out, [color=#147628]"Davi, wait!"[/color]

When the taller boy twisted back around to look at her, his annoyed face was met with a furious right hook from an even angrier eleven-year-old girl.

This time, it was the boy's turn to stumble back; he let go of his brother's hand, clapping a palm to his eye, which was already beginning to turn red. When he took the hand off, Manu could see a red imprint of her fist around the corner of Davi's eye, complete with a bright red smear inside the white part of the eye itself - a broken blood vessel, likely. Blood for blood. It was only fair.

[color=#147628]"I [i]said[/i],"[/color] Manu repeated, spitting on the ground at Davi's feet, [color=#147628]"tell your brother - Macedos are off-limits. In fact, if he ever bullies anyone at the [i]jardim[/i] again, I'll [i]make[/i] it my business to know about it."[/color]

Then she turned around and strolled purposefully back down the street. Her fist smarted slightly, but that was nothing when taken in conjunction with the satisfaction running through her veins. Manu Macedo would never throw the first punch, nor would she hit a child, even one who'd hit her brother - but if the need arose for her to use her fists, she'd be damn sure to use them right.[/reducio]
[b]Fearless[/b]
[revelio](WC: 1,109)[/revelio]
[reducio][size=90]Manu Macedo was on top of the world, and no one could ruin her good mood.

[i]Carnaval[/i] was just beginning, and with that, she'd finally received her acceptance letter for Castelobruxo. Soon enough she would be in Manaus, where her father had grown up, where her parents had kinda-sorta met, learning spells her mother had told her of her entire life. She was determined to be like Mira - smart, well-liked, athletic, ranking high in her class - and her acceptance letter was just the first step towards that plan. 

The only bad thing about her acceptance to Castelobruxo was that she would have to leave her little brothers, Macario and Moisés, behind in Rio when she left. Macario would be fine, he could take care of himself, but Moisés was another story - bullied, clumsy, and shy. Just recently, she'd had to chase down the brother of one of Moisés' classmates who had shoved him; that had ended in a punch thrown, which Manu was sure Moisés could not do on his own if the need arose. [color=#147628][i]Who will I be if I'm not his protector? Who will take care of him when I'm at school?[/i][/color]

It was on her mind constantly, through school, at night, everywhere, every minute. After class ended at her [i]ensino fundamental[/i] one day, Manu strolled down the road towards where her little brother's [i]jardim[/i] was located so she could walk with him home. She picked up Moisés every day, whereas the other twin, Macario, attended a different, less rigorous [i]jardim[/i] that was closer to their father's work, so Mateo was the one to get him. Through the eleven-year-old's brain ran dozens of different scenarios and ideas as her legs carried her one step in front of the other: [color=#147628][i]His hands are so little, I doubt he could punch properly. What if I teach him to kick? Or swing his bag around? He's carrying so many books, I'm sure that would hurt...[/i][/color]

So focused on her thoughts was she that Manu didn't notice the footsteps behind her until it was too late. Suddenly there was a hand on her backpack, yanking her sideways, and the slender girl stumbled, nearly falling; a strong pair of hands shoved her into the wall, and within moments she was surrounded by three bodies, each taller, stronger, and bigger than her.

Manu peered up through furrowed brows to catch a glimpse of dark curls, and then she snickered.

[color=#147628]"Nice eye, Guimarães,"[/color] she pointed out with a scornful chuckle. [color=#147628]"Who gave you that, a girl?"[/color]

Davi Guimarães, the boy one year older than Manu herself whom she'd punched recently over his brother bullying hers, flushed red with a combination of indignation and embarrassment. The skin around his eye was still bruised, healing in splotches of purples and yellows and greens, and the burst blood vessel she'd caused in the boy's sclera had spread into a big scarlet patch right next to his dark iris. It certainly looked like he'd been punched by at least someone his age, rather than a younger, much smaller girl. [color=#7160f0]"Shut up, Manuela,"[/color] he bit out at her. [color=#7160f0]"[i]No one[/i] puts their hands on me and gets away with it."[/color]

Manu pretended to think, scratching her head with fake confusion. [color=#147628]"Really? Because I'm pretty sure I did."[/color]

The other two figures, who Manu recognised as friends of Davi by the names of Paulo and Estevo, exchanged a look behind Davi's back. Estevo was in her year, but Paulo was in Davi's; the latter looked to his ringleader and muttered, [color=#cc5df4]"Uh, Davi... are you sure this is the right girl? She's so... little."[/color]

[color=#7160f0]"Oh, I'm sure,"[/color] Davi snarled, poking a finger into Manu's chest. This time, unlike the shove, Manu let it happen, widening her eyes so as to seem more innocent as the bully continued. [color=#7160f0]"I don't forget someone who tries to hit me."[/color]

[color=#147628]"[i]Succeeds [/i]in hitting you,"[/color] Manu corrected with a little flick of her finger, unflinchingly staring Davi right in the eyes. [color=#147628]"Looks like your eye hasn't forgotten, either. Can you even [i]see [/i]out of it right now? Don't worry, I'm sure that'll go away... eventually."[/color]

Davi snarled and pulled his hand back as if to slap her, but Estevo stepped forward, catching his hand. [color=#741895]"Don't,"[/color] he advised his friend, looking back and forth between him and Manu. [color=#741895]"She'll only tell, and we'll all get in trouble then."[/color]

Manu cocked her head to the side. Her plucky mouth and sarcastic commentary had often gotten her into trouble, but she was glad to see that at least she had [i]some[/i] reputation amongst her classmates. [color=#147628]"Or you can hit me, and we can see what happens,"[/color] she suggested, smirking. [color=#147628]"I'd love to make your other eye match. Maybe you should buy a pair of sunglasses - you know, just in case."[/color]

This time, the growl from Davi was accompanied by an actual swing of his fist towards her face. Too fast to dodge. Manu had no choice but to stand there and watch as the hand moved toward her, but something in his eyes told her that she was going to be perfectly fine - and if she wasn't, well, they were right, she could always tell an authority figure and get them in some [i]serious[/i] problems with the school. But sure enough, his fist stopped less than an inch away from Manu's nose, and she stood there, unblinking.

[color=#147628]"Need to try again?"[/color] she quipped, looking up at Davi.[color=#147628] "I'm sure you can [i]really[/i] get some power into it this time. Go on, go ahead. Hit me. See what happens."[/color]

The boy let his fist drop instead as it finally sunk in that hitting her would only cause his situation to worsen, and Manu's cocky smile grew bigger the lower his fist went. Finally, Davi turned and stalked away, snapping over his shoulder at Manu as his friends spun to follow him: [color=#7160f0]"This isn't over."[/color]

Manu sighed as she pushed herself away from the wall, took a moment to collect herself, and continued down the street on her way to pick up her little brother. There were certainly scarier people than Davi Guimarães out there in the world, and a little threat of a punch wasn't going to make someone like Manu Macedo fall to her knees and beg for mercy. She was better than that.

[color=#147628]"And oh, Davi,"[/color] she murmured under her breath as she turned the corner, [color=#147628]"you have [i]no[/i] idea how over this is."[/color]

After all, she'd be at Castelobruxo soon, and she'd never have to worry about Davi again... not that she was worried about him in the first place, of course. [/size][/reducio]
[b]Advanced Casting[/b]
[revelio](WC: 576)[/revelio]
[reducio][size=90]Castelobruxo was everything Manu Macedo had dreamed it would be, and more. There were amazingly interesting classes, an airy uniform (that [i]didn't[/i] make her wear a skirt, which was good, since she hated them), physical chores that reminded her all too well of home (and helped her to understand why her mother had [i]always[/i] insisted Manu learn to keep the small vegetable garden on the side of the family house in Rio), and all sorts of extracurriculars, from Quidditch to Quodpot. It was heaven. 

Of course, there were some... less-than-great things, too. The ranking system was a little more competitive than Manu had expected it to be, which was fine in the long run, because so too was Manu herself. Instead of joining Quodpot, like her mother - and like Manu had expected herself to - the duelling team had instead piqued her interest, partially because of the outdoor stadium that seemed so unique compared to other sports'. The cobblestoned pathways were sometimes uneven, and Manu had already tripped and face-planted into glowing flowers multiple times, often to the laughter of her classmates. And, of course, there were plenty of said classmates who considered themselves superior to Manu because both of their parents had attended Castelobruxo instead of just one. One boy had even gone so far as to say that Manu wasn't as magical as he was, because her father was a Muggle.

Manu had taken all of the fury that had been garnered after [i]that[/i] particular encounter and poured it into her studies. After all, between the ranking system, duelling, and the sometimes overwhelming urge to hex her more pureblood-centric peers, she would need to know how to cast a spell - accurately and well. With her brand-new wand often used as a head scratcher, page turner, or the wizard version of a laser pointer when she wasn't actually using it to practice, Manu took to finding abandoned spots in Castelobruxo's vibrant, sprawling gardens to work on her spellcasting abilities within her first month at the school. 

During one such evening of studies, she worked on the Cleaning Charm so many times that she scrubbed the same stone brick in a nearby garden wall so clean that it sparkled, then proceeded to blind her momentarily from its dazzle. During another, an attempt at a Fire-Making Spell lit a flower aflame, leading to frantic casting of the Extinguishing Charm so that she wouldn't get in trouble for ruining the gardens. Then there was the time she cast the Smokescreen Spell and nearly gave herself an asthma attack, despite not being asthmatic... the time her Four-Point Spell nearly knocked a passing sixth-year student in the arm because of its strong, fast jump to point north... the time she wore out a lock she'd managed to acquire from using the Unlocking and Locking Charms on it so much that it broke.

Manu needed to feel like she was worthy of the duelling team. She needed to prove all of her Mugglephobic classmates wrong. And she needed to be like her mother, because she would've rathered sleep with the Castelobruxo llamas for a week than have someone say she wasn't Mira Maidana 2.0.

So she would work until she felt worthy, until she knew she could beat them, until she knew she could prove everybody wrong. She wouldn't stop until she felt satisfied with herself, and anyone who knew Manu Macedo knew she was never satisfied, so she would never stop.[/size][/reducio]
[b]Wandmaker[/b]
[revelio](WC: 1,358) [size=75](not including individual word counts for core/wood/etc., explanations are at the end)[/size][/revelio]
[reducio][size=90][color=#147628][i]A new wand, a new wand, a new wand.[/i][/color]

It was all Manu had been able to think about as her time to attend Castelobruxo approached. That was the whole point of going to magic school, right? Getting a wand and learning to use it to cast spells and such? Through reading some of the magic books that her mother kept on her office bookshelf at the Macedo family home, Manu had garnered that there must be a wand shop somewhere from which she would be purchasing her first wand with the coins that only her mother ever used, and never out in the Muggle world. So as her days to attend the school rapidly became closer and closer, Manu became more and more on edge. She pestered her mother and, when that didn't work, her poor, clueless father about what a wand would entail: [color=#147628]"Is it just a magic stick? How do they work? How big will it be? What if I break it?"[/color] And, finally, her father Mateo broke down and told her all he knew about wands, which was shamefully little of course due to his Muggle heritage: they had a wood and a core, they varied in length and bendiness, and he didn't know if there was a wand shop anywhere because his wife had owned the same wand for the entirety of their marriage. 

Manu had seen her mother's wand before, of course. A beautiful, rustic orangey-brown colour, it was long - about 30 centimetres, maybe more - and always shined, like her mother had treated it with the utmost of care during her term as its owner. There was one tiny crack on the base, but not enough to cause real damage to it, Manu guessed, as her mother kept using it every day without fail. After learning of the whole woods-and-cores business, Manu asked her mother what hers was, but she was only met with a [color=#d15823]"You'll learn soon enough."[/color]

Whatever [i]that [/i]meant.

Two days before Manu was meant to leave for Castelobruxo, the girl was practically vibrating as she moved around the house after [i]ensino[/i], half from excitement and half from nerves. Why hadn't her mother taken her to go get a wand yet? Were they perhaps going to pick one up on the way to Manaus? That seemed rather like waiting til the last minute, but Manu [i]hated[/i] the not knowing. That is, until she heard her mother's voice from across the house.

[color=#d15823]"Manuela? Manu, [i]meu carinho[/i], come in here, please."[/color]

As usual, Mira Maidana Macedo was in her office, sitting behind her desk. She twirled a quill between her fingers, smiling at her daughter as Manu entered the room and shut the door behind her. There were two plush velvet stools on the other side of Mira's desk, and Manu went straight to the right one and took a seat. She loved sitting here and watching her mother work, on the rare occasions when Mira actually worked at home; it was a reminder that, someday, this would be her. Hopefully.

[color=#147628]"What is it, Mamãe?"[/color] she asked, shifting atop her stool.

Mira's smile was bright and beautiful, the same as it had been when she and Mateo had first met (just with an added twenty years). [color=#d15823]"I have a present for you. Close your eyes."[/color]

Manu dutifully closed them, and quickly heard a small, soft [i]thunk[/i] from the desk in front of her as Mira set something down there and, then, bade her to open her eyes once more. When Manu did so, she found a long, thin white box in front of her, wrapped in a dark green ribbon trimmed with gold.

[color=#147628]"What is it?"[/color]

[color=#d15823]"Open it and see,"[/color] her mother urged.

And so Manu's excited fingers, tripping over each other in her haste, speedily untied the ribbon, lifting the lid of the box to see what was inside. The contents shocked her - made her blink for just a moment, her usually infallible mouth left gaping for words, until finally, she looked back up at Mira.

[color=#147628]"Why are you giving me your wand?"[/color]

Mira's dark eyes were soft and kind. [color=#d15823]"Tradition, Manu.

"You see, that wand there was not always mine. Before that, it was your grandmother's, when she attended Castelobruxo. And it was her mother's before that, her mother's before that, and so on. That wand right there has been passed down from eldest daughter to eldest daughter in my family line for generations, dating all the way back to your great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother, María Morales."[/color] 

Mira pulled a well-worn book from a nearby shelf and laid it in front of her daughter, who stared at it with wide eyes; the title read [i]María Morales: A Magical Struggle for Argentine Independence[/i], and Manu had seen her mother read it more than a handful of times over the years and even read it once herself. María Morales, the witch sister of some Squib general, had been a large part of the Argentine War of Independence in the 1810s, and her heroic warrior's death at the Battle of Maipú in 1818 had played a large part in driving Peruvian forces out of Chile and Argentina, thus granting both countries well-deserved independence. It was just one of many examples of witches and wizards working behind the scenes in historical Muggle disputes to ensure a just outcome, and Manu had admired María from the time she'd finished the first chapter of her biography.

She pointed to the book, a smile breaking uncontrollably across her face. [color=#147628]"You're telling me I'm descended from her?"[/color]

[color=#d15823]"[i]We [/i]are descended from her, yes,"[/color] her mother corrected, [color=#d15823]"and that was her wand, recovered from the Battle of Maipú and returned to her daughter, who was just entering Castelobruxo at the time. Since then, it has been given to the eldest daughter of the Morales line upon their entry to Castelobruxo. Someday, you will give it to [i]your[/i] eldest daughter, too."[/color]

Normally, Manu would have wrinkled her nose at the thought of someday having children, but at this point she was far too excited to care. With careful fingers, she plucked the wand from the box; it shivered slightly in her hand, and then, [i][b]crack![/b][/i] It emitted a large, loud crack of thunder, causing Manu to jump in her seat - she almost fell out of it, but managed to hang on. [color=#147628]"[i]AH![/i] Is that... normal?"[/color]

Her mother was chuckling by now. [color=#d15823]"It is because of the wand's core,"[/color] explained Mira, moving around the corner of the desk to sit on the edge of it by her daughter. [color=#d15823]"Thunderbird tail feather. Your seven-greats-grandmother María was quite skilled at weather-based spells, with her favourite being a thunderstorm, or so says the legend. It just means the wand is bonding to you; it will calm down before you leave for Manaus."[/color]

Manu brought the wand close to her face, examining the burnt-orange wood and small crack at the base. Now that she knew the wand's history, the crack made sense; it had not gone through nine generations of women to come out unscathed. [color=#147628]"And the wood? Papai told me there's a wood, a length, and a bendiness."[/color]

Mira shook her head, still smiling at the thought of her husband. [color=#d15823]"Your [i]papai[/i] cannot keep his mouth shut,"[/color] she chortled, reaching out and running one finger along the grain of the wand's wood. [color=#d15823]"Yes, the wood is cypress. The wand is just shy of thirteen inches - thirty-three centimetres, to be exact. And, like generations of Morales women - and you - the wand is unyielding. Take care to not bend it too much, or it will break."[/color]

Now it was Manu's turn to smile as she grasped the wand in one hand and looked up to her mother. Suddenly, she sprang to her feet, wrapping her [i]mamãe[/i] in a tight hug. [color=#147628]"Thank you, Mamãe,"[/color] she whispered, though her thank-you was also meant for eight Morales women who had come before her mother, who Manu knew were all listening, watching her somehow as she became the tenth to hold the cypress wand with its thunderbird tail feather core. 

[color=#147628]"I'll make you all proud."[/color]

***************************************************************************************************

[i]Manu's wand is 33 cm (just shy of 13 inches), unyielding, with a thunderbird tail feather core and cypress wood.[/i]

[b]Thunderbird tail feather core:[/b] Manu is nothing if not a fighter. She will often throw a punch or a spell, but only if someone else swings first - she refuses to be held culpable for starting a fight, but she'll be more than happy to end one. Her big mouth often gets her in trouble, because she doesn't know when to quit talking; though she doesn't exactly realise it or do it on purpose, she will sometimes goad someone else into starting the fight because she is itching to end it. Competitive in duelling and in class rankings, Manu is also brave, bold, and quite literally Fearless. [revelio](WC: 102)[/revelio]

[b]Cypress wood:[/b] As stated above, Manu is bold and Fearless, and she will confront anyone for anything if she thinks it will make the world a better place. She would gladly take a punch for a friend and often considers herself a protector for the underdog; she is inspired by her self-sacrificing ancestor, María Morales, whose wand she now carries, and Manu would do anything to be like her. [revelio](WC: 67)[/revelio]

[b]33 cm (~13 inches) in length:[/b] Though she's short in stature, Manu is a big personality. Unafraid to stand up to people twice her size, her dramatism is often considered to be surprising for someone so small; she isn't necessarily a show-off, but she'll make a scene if necessary, often in the manner of a fight or duel. Manu has big dreams and ambitions, and hopes to make the world a better place, likely through politics - her largest aspiration is to maybe someday become the President of Brazil, or maybe Brazilian Minister of Magic. She hasn't decided yet. [revelio](WC: 92)[/revelio]

[b]Unyielding flexibility:[/b] If there is one thing most of all that Manu has inherited from the Morales lineage of women, it is her stubbornness. She will not back down or change her mind once she has made it up. Manu refuses to let herself be pushed around and is unyielding, much like her wand, in her belief that she can make the world a better place; she will stand her ground until she is satisfied that she has done so. [revelio](WC: 78)[/revelio]
[/reducio]
[b]Perfectionist[/b]
[revelio]WC: 466[/revelio]
[reducio]Manu Macedo was tired of being seen as lesser. 

Four full years at Castelobruxo, now, spending time among her peers and fellow wizards, learning more than she ever possibly could’ve thought she would know. Manu could cast spells and tend llamas and brew potions now, and she was only getting better at each with every passing year, growing more skilled, smarter, a better caster, a better witch. 

And yet it still wasn’t enough, somehow, for [i]some[/i] people. 

It was no secret that Castelobruxo was different from some of the other wizarding schools, students from which Manu had met - even befriended - over the previous summer. These other students didn’t care so much about blood purity. Hell, some of them weren’t even born to a single magical parent, which is something Manu couldn’t even comprehend, seeing as Muggle-borns simply didn’t exist at Castelobruxo. Maybe one or two, but they were certainly very rare. And even half-bloods like Manu weren’t nearly as common as those of “pure” blood. Manu couldn’t even think, off the top of her head, of a single other half-blood of whom she knew in her year. 

It was all those damn purebloods, treating her like she was someone worse than them. Like she didn’t deserve the same as they did. Like her magic wasn’t just as good, if not better. 

And so Manu made it better. 

Determined to be the best duellist, determined to be the best caster, determined to be top of her class and [i]determined to take down that absolute jerk Boe[/i], Manu threw herself into her studies. No longer would she just carelessly throw her spells like she would her fists. No longer would she let her temper steer her magic. It was time to learn to control herself, and it was time to be perfect. 

During Manu's last year of the Fundamental portion of her education, she doubled down on making sure every spell cast from her wand was said in the exact pronunciation with the specific wand movement required - meticulously cast, and aimed painstakingly at the exact point on her target which she wanted to hit. She also practiced her Ch'olti' every day, trying her best not to let her Spanish, English, and Quechua slip as a result - though that was to be expected when trying to gain fluency of a [i]fifth[/i] language. Over the summer, she threw herself into astronomy books, knowing that if she could get ahead of the game now, she could return to Castelobruxo for their first year of Superior learning taking one of the most difficult classes at the school - and, if she had her way, to be perfect in it. Perfect in duelling. Perfect in [i]everything.[/i]

Boe Correa would never be able to tell her she was lesser again.[/reducio]
[b]Spell Spread[/b]
[revelio]WC: 501[/revelio]
[reducio]In her five years of schooling at Castelobruxo, Manu Macedo had made more than a few enemies.

There were those who had called her lesser since her first steps into the golden pyramid, just because of the blood that ran through her veins. You would think that five years of topping her class lists, defending the innocent from bullies in the corridors, and working hard as one of Castelobruxo's very few duellists to refine and magnify her spellcasting craft would have earned the [i]carioca[/i] a bit of respect, but no. It seemed that no matter how she did, there would always be those who wished to pincer in from all sides, whispering horrible comments in her ears, telling her she'd never be as good as the weakest pureblood in all her life.

Of course, when one had enemies coming in from multiple sides, one had to learn to hit them both at once.

This came to a head when Manu witnessed a younger student be attacked in one of the Castelobruxo hallways from two opposite sides, scarlet spells arcing towards the second-year from two fourth-years who were clearly unpleased with the child for some unknown reason. They crashed into the younger student, one on the right and one on the left, leaving the poor thing to crumple to the ground.

The bullies were dealt with and the student carted off to the hospital, but the scene haunted Manu for months as she finished up her fifth year at Castelobruxo and went home for the summer. She'd been lucky, thus far, to not take on multiple at once - when people came at her, they tended to do it at least one-by-one enough that she could react in kind and protect herself and others. What would happen the day that the Correas decided to cast simultaneous spells?

But then - a memory. Summer camp, 2022. What a summer that had been, full of the highest ups and lowest downs, and one of the middest points had been the duel against the Hogwarts students, a pair in scarlet and a duo in navy. Those in blue had taken the win, and Manu had managed to eke out second place despite a truly horrible showing - but, then again, the ceruleans deserved it. One in particular, the girl, had somehow cast a spell - Ventus, if Manu's memory was to be believed - against [i]two[/i] opponents at once, one of them being Manu herself. Though Manu hadn't stayed awake for most of the duel afterwards, she had felt more impressed than frustrated at her loss afterwards. How had the girl done it? And how could she learn to do it now?

And so Manu thrust herself into the studying of spell spreads over the summer, not practicing outside of school of course but certainly readying for the upcoming summer camp in the hopes that she would get to try out her new, theoretical skill when she returned to the United Kingdom soon. Redemption and protection - that was her goal.

[i]Permissions granted to mention Boe Correa (Jack Warren), Raul Correa (Nick McCowan), Dee Prince.[/i][/reducio]
[/quote]