Post by Helena Ravenclaw on Oct 8, 2010 0:50:03 GMT -5
Out Of Character
[/color][/size][/center]Name: Nessa
RP Experience: Many years
Referred By: Shadin
The Character
[/color][/size][/center]First Name: Helena
Last Name: Ravenclaw
Nickname(s): None
Job Wanted: None
Which Side of the War Are You On?: Currently, Slytherin's.
Age: 19
Blood (Pure-Blood, Full-Blood, Half-Blood, Muggle Born): Pureblood
Wand (Core, Length, Wood Type): Ivory, flexible, 8 inches. Unicorn hair core.
Natural Immunities or Strengths: Helena is manipulative and analytic to the extreme.
Other: Helena has always taken comfort in the study and care of plants, specifically those of the poisonous variety. Controlled and surgical in her execution of spells, what she lacks in brute force she makes up with in precision.
Personality
[/color][/size][/center]Personality: On the surface, Helena comes off as aloof, cold, and indifferent. She is highly unconcerned with the lives of other people and is seemingly unable to empathize with them. Almost on reflex, she insults those around her. Helena gives off the impression that she believes herself to be superior to her peers, which is largely accurate. Her egotism does not overshadow some of the finer aspects of her personality, however, although very few people get close enough to notice her virtues.
Helena is determined, resourceful, and devoted to the people she loves. Because the first two facets of her personality can often be misconstrued as negative, most people have no idea that they carry over into other areas of her life, such as school or her fascination with herbology. She is highly knowledgeable because of her constant pursuit for new information, and her sharp intellect can sometimes be a reprieve from normal conversation (as long as it's not aimed in your direction). She is also extremely loyal to those she trusts. However, this attribute is rarely seen because Helena tends to distance herself from other people. There are very few individuals that Helena can call her friend.
Likes [3+]: Poison, plants, solitude.
Dislikes [3+]: Undue arrogance, ignorant people, the muggle population.
Strengths [3 only]: Quick thinking, precise, manipulative.
Weaknesses [3+]: Physically frail, over-confident, lonely.
Values: Helena prides herself in being a witch, and she agrees with her mentor Salazar Slytherin that wizardkind should not be contaminated by muggles. Having experienced their close-minded bigotry, Helena strives to support a world in which the muggles are completely separated from the wizarding population.
Quirks: Helena resorts to non-magical violence when truly frustrated, despite having been taught that wandless attacks are improper for a witch. As it happens, she is easily overpowered, which shows the illogical nature of her temper.
Appearance
[/color][/size][/center]Image:
Hair: Helena has long, magnolia-blonde hair that usually looks immaculate, especially when she ties it back.
Eyes: Galacial blue with a dark ring of navy around the outer edge, Helena's eyes are chilly to stare into. They can be very difficult to read as well, typically because her facial expressions are so controlled.
General Appearance [2+ PARAGRAPHS]:
Helena is tall, refined, and intimidating upon first glance. She carries herself like a noble, with perfectly straight posture and trained facial features. Seemingly oblivious to social norms, Helena rarely smiles upon greeting someone and overlooks the practice of hand-shaking. When she walks into a room, she gives off the impression that she is totally unaware of everybody else there, including peers and her superiors. She is lithe, graceful, and particular about each motion she makes when in the public eye, sensitive to the scrutiny of those around her. She will only relax when alone with people she trusts, and even then, it is hard for Helena to unclench.
From an aesthetic aspect, Helena is exceptionally pretty, surpassing most of her peers. At the peak of her own perfection, Helena gives off the air that she has gradually blossomed into a beautiful woman, not burst into bloom. She carries herself with an ancient and well-bred refinement, suggesting that she has always been this image of breathtaking elegance, despite her obvious youth. With long blonde hair, blue eyes, and alabaster skin, Helena belongs to the class that raised her: wealthy wizard aristocracy. It is behind this veneer that the true Helena is caged, struggling to escape the walls that society has erected around her.
Unique Marks, Scars and Features: Helena is a striking young woman in personality and appearance, but she has no physical scars or blemishes. Helena's skin is always cool and dry to the touch.
Family
[/color][/size][/center]Parents:
Father: Arthur Gaelian
Mother: Rowena Ravenclaw
Spouse: None
Siblings: None
Opinion On Family: Helena has never felt loved by her mother, who treats her like an assistant instead of a daughter. She blames Rowena for chasing away her father, Arthur Gaelian, and she lashes out with verbal aggression and defiance.
Everything Else
[/color][/size][/center]History [3+ PARAGRAPHS]:
In August of 1063, Rowena met a wealthy wizard named Arthur Gaelian who took an interest in her magical prowess and beauty. He claimed that he loved her, though Rowena initially rejected his advances, and he refused to give up until she consented to marry him. Making his living by inventing superior potions, he proved to Rowena that he was more than capable of supporting her, and in November of 1063, they were wed.
Helena was born in the early hours of the morning on December 2nd, 1064. Because she was such a small infant, Rowena kept her indoors for the first year of her life as a precaution, refusing to expose her to the elements until she began walking. Meanwhile, Arthur Gaelian began to grow more and more distant, leaving home for weeks at a time. There came a day when Arthur announced his intent to leave, and he stopped coming back altogether. Helena was two when her father left, and the rest of her childhood revolved around struggling to impress her mother. Because Rowena was rarely demonstrative and always preoccupied, Helena suffered feelings of rejection and loneliness that came to define her the older she grew. No matter what she did...remember her pleases and thank you's, memorize which teas Rowena liked best, learn how to use a wand, discover more functional purposes for the Ingoo Plant...Helena was unable to gain her mother's affections.
At the age of six, Helena was introduced to one of her mother's esteemed magical colleagues during a formal dinner: Salazar Slytherin, a tall, strict looking man with dark hair and a shrewd intellect. She became an immediate favorite of his, impressing him with her exhaustive knowledge of magical plants and her childish streak of arrogance. He noticed that, though Helena immitated her mother's aloof attitude in public, when privately goaded she proved to be quite mischievious. He began making weekly visits to the Ravenclaw household, delighting Helena with little trinkets and praises for her growing intelligence. Where it was impossible to please her mother, Helena found constant encouragement from Salazar Slytherin, and she began to look at him as a father-figure.
When she turned eight, Helena began taking private lessons from both her mother and Salazar Slytherin, focusing mainly on dark magic with the latter. She spent hours of her youth assisting her mother by the cauldron, becoming an expert when it came to potions and plants, but it was with Salazar that she learned how to perform offensive magic, and also with Salazar that she learned to fear muggles. Counseled by Rowena to always approach an issue from multiple angles, it was a relief to hear someone declare with certainty that something was bad, without the possibility of another option.
Helena was one of the first students to attend Hogwarts in 1080, when she was fifteen years old. She moved there with her mother and came to know the grounds like the back of her hand, acting as both a student and an assistant. She discovered early on that she disliked Gryffindor, finding him to be too aggressive and cheerful, but she did her best to conceal her dislike. The question of marriage came up in her sixteenth year, as it became apparent to everyone around her that Helena was beautiful, if a bit cold. Her mother brought it up bluntly when she continued to show a lack of interest in suitors, and at seventeen, Helena furiously discovered that Rowena had begun to search for her future husband.
Helena spent the next year refusing the advances of every man Rowena introduced her to, offending many wealthy would-be suitors beyond repair. Arousing legitimate anger in her mother for the first time in years, loud outbursts could be heard from Ravenclaw tower, followed by the slamming of doors and shattering glass. A month before Helena turned eighteen, she showed up red-eyed and frowning at the table of a Baron named Adonis Black, accompanied by a strict Rowena and two of Adonis' siblings. The Baron immediately fell in love with her, and by the end of the evening announced his intent to take her as his wife. Helena walked out, but Rowena stayed just long enough to explain that her daughter would accept the offer, despite her apparent unwillingness.
Meeting with Helena several more times (always accompanied by Rowena or another third party), Adonis firmly maintained that he would not be looking elsewhere for a bride, but that he was not an unreasonable man. He would allow Helena one year before announcing their engagement, at which point she would come to him willingly. Disgusted by him but unable to escape the impending nuptuals alone, Helena begged her mother not to force her to marry. Rowena stoically refused to negotiate. She didn't want her daughter to make the same mistakes that she had by marrying for love, especially if the suitor was not locally known. This public marriage into a family as famous as the Blacks would ensure that Helena be taken care of, and that her husband would not abandon her for fear of a scandal.
Helena is now nineteen, and her year is up. The Baron will soon demand that she announce their engagement. Meanwhile, Helena is doing everything within her power to escape becoming his wife. With possible war on the horizon, she turns to her mentor Salazar for support and guidance, finding that even the strongest of wizards can not save her from her fate. As her nuptuals loom closer, Helena may be forced to do something drastic.
Rp Sample [3+ PARAGRAPHS]:
Andy whispered the password to the Slytherin common room as quietly as she could, barely parting her lips when the portrait door swung open. It was past curfew, she was freezing, and the dungeons always gave her the creeps at night. Stepping into the empty entrance chamber, Andromeda released a sigh as the portrait swung shut and she was allowed to lean against the wall with relief. Another night spent wandering the halls near Hufflepuff common room, and another night of not getting caught.
Andromeda was the least prominent Black sister of the three. It wasn’t that she fell short in beauty or intelligence…on the contrary, Andromeda’s looks were subtle yet enchanting, and she got top marks in all of her classes. However, it was hard to stand out when you were the middle daughter in a trio compiled of Narcissa, the darling of the Black family, and Bellatrix, whose looks were as dark and as sultry as molten midnight. Andy had always felt shunted by her sisters, knowing that she was utterly eclipsed by them, but maybe that was why she’d turned to Ted. The boy was plain, goodness knows, and as muggleborns went, he was two spells short of becoming a squib…but he loved her, just like all the other boys loved Narcissa, and Andy was desperate to disobey the orders of her eldest sister, Bellatrix.
Bellatrix was beyond beautiful, with tight black curls and luscious, pouting lips. People said that Andy looked like her, but Andy knew that in every way, she was the vanilla version of a dark chocolate original. Bellatrix had always been a maelstrom of threats, coated in sickly sweet tones, but Andy was tired of caving to her older sister. Yes, Ted Tonks was the epitome of muggleborn filth, the worst of his breed, and Andy had chosen him exactly for that reason. All of her life Andromeda had belonged to Bellatrix, chosen by her sister because they were bonded by blood, but Andy was going to prove once and for all that Bellatrix was her sibling, not her owner.
Becoming aware that her skin was prickling, Andy looked up suddenly and glanced about the common room, positive that she was being watched. Pushing off of the wall, Andy crossed the floor and gingerly peered around the backs of the tall emerald armchairs, heaving a sigh of relief when she found that they were empty. The fire in the grate had crumbled into a pile of glowing ash, and Andromeda told herself that she was being paranoid. Bellatrix couldn’t possibly know where she had been, couldn’t possibly be here now, watching her from the shadows. Scolding herself for being so jumpy, Andromeda’s long, doe-brown hair curled softly past her cheeks as she tipped her head forwards, trying to gather her thoughts.
“Nobody is here but me,” she whispered, pouting her lips as she spoke. “I’m alone.”
