Special Feature Applications

Name:  Taed
Character name:  DJ Conway
Feature you are applying for:  Animagus :: golden eagle
     Markings:  dark “hair” and thick “eyebrows”; large “robe” patches on back and front

Application:  On a personal level I’ve always been fascinated by the Animagi, partially because of my own research into spirit animals.  For the same reason I like the Patronus charm, but we see in the cases of James Potter and Minerva McGonagall that their Patronus form is the same as their Animagus form; it’s likely that the two are the same, since a Patronus’ shape reflects the caster’s personality^[1] and an Animagus’ form is determined by their personality and inner traits^[2].  In a lot of cultures we see that the shapes a person is forced to take is meant not only as an extension of who they are, but also as a means of communicating an important message or lesson that must be learned.  When a student expresses interest in finding their spirit animal and I walk them through the process (from a psionic qi perspective, not a Native American one), I explain that whichever animals choose to come to them in their trance state will communicate an integral part of, or flaw in, their character.  Thus the allure of the Animagus isn’t just about “how cool is this, I can turn into an animal?” but also “what does this say about me” and “how can I make the most of this trait?”

     At the character level, based on the above, I’m curious to see what form DJ might (otherwise) take as an Animagus, since he is in such a state of flux right now between “light” and Dark, and his personality is undergoing a lot of changes (ahh, adolescence).  I originally envisioned him as a falcon, even though we haven’t seen any avian Animagi since ancient times (Chocolate Frog cards list Falco Aesalon, Cliodna, and Morgan le Fay).  Obviously based on my entries above I looked over some other birds of prey and decided that the golden eagle was the most appropriate based on DJ’s appearance.  It works well with what has been cemented about DJ’s personality – he is cunning (Slytherin), intelligent (almost a Ravenclaw), and prefers to work alone (predatory and non-flocking).

     Plotwise, I enjoy the challenge set by the MH staff that Animagus training takes a long time and is very difficult, and we’ve never really seen that in the Harry Potter books.  Rowling touched on Sirius and James figuring it out on their own and helping Peter to finish his transformation, but we don’t really see the day-to-day tedium of acclimating your body molecule by molecule to a “permanent” switch.  With DJ just finishing his fifth year at Hogwarts and presumably getting high marks in his Transfiguration O.W.L., now is the perfect time to start the years-long training.  No matter how good DJ has been at Transfiguration up to this point, I don’t intend to have him rush the learning process.  In fact I’m almost considering having him fail halfway through (but I like the idea of achievement too much to let that happen... probably...)

Future plots:  Ideally this would be a fantastic opportunity to have the training as a plot itself – arduous hours of practice and lessons, studying theory, learning the basics of self-Transfiguration, meditating to accomplish self-awareness and sentience for when DJ enters his animal shape, and the all-important month of keeping a Mandrake leaf in one’s mouth (wouldn’t really be looking forward to that if it was happening to me).  I would love to do some one-on-one plots with Professor Bronté, and maybe some of the other Transfiguration “pros” of the MH world (not including Mssr. Améliore because RPing with oneself is a complex waiting to happen). Eventually, assuming DJ actually completes the training and becomes a registered Animagus, this would open up a number of other options for utilising the skill, though admittedly if he didn’t end up as a bird I’m not sure what sorts of situations these would be.   

RP sample using the feature:

This was the moment DJ had been waiting for.  Thousands of hours of reading and memorizing and concentrating and practicing, all led to his first Animagus transfiguration.  He knew that continued concentration was critical, but he was so excited that for once he couldn’t hide his feelings behind a blasé mask.

He looked down at his bare feet, deciding to start from there and go slowly. His toenails thickened, bubbled up, arced out and turned into talons while his toes stretched out and his heel sprouted another talon. His legs started scaling over and his knees suddenly reversed with a sickening squelch noise.  His robes flared out and then started to tear into strips all by themselves, fastening themselves to his sides and back and rolling into feathers.  DJ could feel the wind in every fibre of every feather shaft. The transformation swelled up to his chest and he spread his arms wide, throwing his head back, as his arms melded into his sleeves and became wings. Finally his chin and nose jutted out and came to a curved point, and his eyes slid backward a little bit to give him a greater range of peripheral vision.  Apparently during the entire process he had been shrinking too, as he now stood three feet tall posturing with his chest out.

Excitedly, he forgot all else in his rush to get into the air, beating his powerful wings and getting enough lift to get his feet off the ground.  He aimed for the window in the Great Hall, which opened just as he reached it, and he flew out over the top of Hogwarts Castle.  The thermals were fantastic today... it took so little effort to catch them and soar up, up, far up. The Castle was still impressive but it seemed so distant.  He could see the entire grounds, the Forbidden Forest reaching out toward the mountains.  Clouds blew past him and breezes swirled merrily around him.  DJ let out a raptor cry of pure ecstasy and dove toward the lake as if he were hunting.  What a feeling of freedom!!!

The next moment, however, his cry turned from joy to fear as he tried to pull out of the dive and discovered that he couldn’t.  Why can’t I get my wings to work?! DJ panicked, flapping wildly but still falling, tumbling end over end toward the lake below him.  Suddenly a large bubble blossomed on top of the water’s surface and exploded as the giant squid flew up toward him, rows of enormous teeth in its circular mouth aimed at DJ, sunlight glinting off thousands of droplets of flying lake water in midair and blinding DJ...

...and DJ’s eyes snapped open, staring at the refraction of sunlight through lake water on the ceiling above his dormitory bed.  DJ groaned, turned over and faceplanted into his pillow. Five years to go, he thought.

[mick]please check your pms.[/mick]

Re-submitting with requested additions.


Name:  Taed
Character name:  DJ Conway
Feature you are applying for:  Animagus :: golden eagle
     Markings:  dark gryphon-shaped mark in the middle of his back (Conway crest), light trident-shaped mark in the middle of his chest (Chitileanu crest)

Driver’s Application:  On a personal level I’ve always been fascinated by the Animagi, partially because of my own research into spirit animals.  For the same reason I like the Patronus charm, but we see in the cases of James Potter and Minerva McGonagall that their Patronus form is the same as their Animagus form; it’s likely that the two are the same, since a Patronus’ shape reflects the caster’s personality^[1] and an Animagus’ form is determined by their personality and inner traits^[2].  In a lot of cultures we see that the shapes a person is forced to take is meant not only as an extension of who they are, but also as a means of communicating an important message or lesson that must be learned.  When a student expresses interest in finding their spirit animal and I walk them through the process (from a psionic qi perspective, not a Native American one), I explain that whichever animals choose to come to them in their trance state will communicate an integral part of, or flaw in, their character.  Thus the allure of the Animagus isn’t just about “how cool is this, I can turn into an animal?” but also “what does this say about me” and “how can I make the most of this trait?”

     At the character level, based on the above, I’m curious to see what form DJ might (otherwise) take as an Animagus, since he is in such a state of flux right now between “light” and Dark, and his personality is undergoing a lot of changes (ahh, adolescence).  I originally envisioned him as a falcon, even though we haven’t seen any avian Animagi since ancient times (Chocolate Frog cards list Falco Aesalon, Cliodna, and Morgan le Fay).  Obviously based on my entries above I looked over some other birds of prey and decided that the golden eagle was the most appropriate based on DJ’s appearance.  It works well with what has been cemented about DJ’s personality – he is cunning (Slytherin), intelligent (almost a Ravenclaw), and prefers to work alone (predatory and non-flocking).

     Plotwise, I enjoy the challenge set by the MH staff that Animagus training takes a long time and is very difficult, and we’ve never really seen that in the Harry Potter books.  Rowling touched on Sirius and James figuring it out on their own and helping Peter to finish his transformation, but we don’t really see the day-to-day tedium of acclimating your body molecule by molecule to a “permanent” switch.  With DJ just finishing his fifth year at Hogwarts and presumably getting high marks in his Transfiguration O.W.L., now is the perfect time to start the years-long training.  No matter how good DJ has been at Transfiguration up to this point, I don’t intend to have him rush the learning process.  In fact I’m almost considering having him fail halfway through (but I like the idea of achievement too much to let that happen... probably...)

Student’s Application:  When DJ’s third-year Transfiguration class was first introduced to Animagi, he was absolutely fascinated by the concept.  It represented to him a significant mastery of magic and knowledge of Transfiguration, as well as a powerful talent and status.  At the time, Voldemort was in control of the British Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts attendance was mandatory; DJ had already begun studying Dark Curses from the book his mother sent him, and was looking for any other ways to become powerful enough to take care of himself.

     The idea of becoming an Animagus himself was alluring for three reasons. First, it was a power that few others mastered; second, it required high Transfiguration skill, which he possessed; and third, it was a challenge, which he enjoyed as a self-motivated individual.  Even after the Battle of Hogwarts, it remained a focal point for DJ in his scholastic pursuits.  He pushed himself harder than ever in Transfiguration and beat himself up over his (few) failures because he knew that when he took his O.W.L.s, he would need an Outstanding in Transfiguration to convince (then-professor) Bronté that he could handle the additional workload of studying to become an Animagus.  Since the O.W.L.s have arrived and he is on the brink of this life-changing moment, DJ is more determined than ever to succeed.

Future plots: 

• Rosaline Bane.  Rosaline has agreed to a few mentoring sessions with DJ, in exchange for taking an Unbreakable Vow to never reveal that Rosaline is an unregistered Animagus.


• Keela Doyle and Kendall Byrd.  DJ will let his two closest classmate-friends – one Gryffindor, one Slytherin – know about his Animagus training.  The training will have an affect on their Light/Dark/love triangle, and how he develops his personal identity and his feelings for both of them will have a heavy impact on the form he eventually takes.



• In addition, this would be a fantastic opportunity to have the training as a plot itself – arduous hours of practice and lessons, studying theory, learning the basics of self-Transfiguration, meditating to accomplish self-awareness and sentience for when DJ enters his animal shape, and the all-important month of keeping a Mandrake leaf in one’s mouth (wouldn’t really be looking forward to that if it was happening to me).


• I would love to do some one-on-one plots with whoever ends up taking the Transfiguration post at Hogwarts, and maybe some of the other Transfiguration “pros” of the MH world (not including Mssr. Améliore because RPing with oneself is a complex waiting to happen).


• Eventually, assuming DJ actually completes the training and becomes a registered Animagus, this would open up a number of other options for utilising the skill, though admittedly if he didn’t end up as a bird I’m not sure what sorts of situations these would be.

RP sample using the feature:

This was the moment DJ had been waiting for.  Thousands of hours of reading and memorizing and concentrating and practicing, all led to his first Animagus transfiguration.  He knew that continued concentration was critical, but he was so excited that for once he couldn’t hide his feelings behind a blasé mask.

He looked down at his bare feet, deciding to start from there and go slowly. His toenails thickened, bubbled up, arced out and turned into talons while his toes stretched out and his heel sprouted another talon. His legs started scaling over and his knees suddenly reversed with a sickening squelch noise.  His robes flared out and then started to tear into strips all by themselves, fastening themselves to his sides and back and rolling into feathers.  DJ could feel the wind in every fibre of every feather shaft. The transformation swelled up to his chest and he spread his arms wide, throwing his head back, as his arms melded into his sleeves and became wings. Finally his chin and nose jutted out and came to a curved point, and his eyes slid backward a little bit to give him a greater range of peripheral vision.  Apparently during the entire process he had been shrinking too, as he now stood three feet tall posturing with his chest out.

Excitedly, he forgot all else in his rush to get into the air, beating his powerful wings and getting enough lift to get his feet off the ground.  He aimed for the window in the Great Hall, which opened just as he reached it, and he flew out over the top of Hogwarts Castle.  The thermals were fantastic today... it took so little effort to catch them and soar up, up, far up. The Castle was still impressive but it seemed so distant.  He could see the entire grounds, the Forbidden Forest reaching out toward the mountains.  Clouds blew past him and breezes swirled merrily around him.  DJ let out a raptor cry of pure ecstasy and dove toward the lake as if he were hunting.  What a feeling of freedom!!!

The next moment, however, his cry turned from joy to fear as he tried to pull out of the dive and discovered that he couldn’t.  Why can’t I get my wings to work?! DJ panicked, flapping wildly but still falling, tumbling end over end toward the lake below him.  Suddenly a large bubble blossomed on top of the water’s surface and exploded as the giant squid flew up toward him, rows of enormous teeth in its circular mouth aimed at DJ, sunlight glinting off thousands of droplets of flying lake water in midair and blinding DJ...

...and DJ’s eyes snapped open, staring at the refraction of sunlight through lake water on the ceiling above his dormitory bed.  DJ groaned, turned over and faceplanted into his pillow. Five years to go, he thought.

Re-submitting with requested additions.


Name:  Taed
Character name:  DJ Conway
Feature you are applying for:  Animagus :: golden eagle
     Markings:  dark gryphon-shaped mark in the middle of his back (Conway crest), light trident-shaped mark in the middle of his chest (Chitileanu crest)

Driver’s Application:  On a personal level I’ve always been fascinated by the Animagi, partially because of my own research into spirit animals.  For the same reason I like the Patronus charm, but we see in the cases of James Potter and Minerva McGonagall that their Patronus form is the same as their Animagus form; it’s likely that the two are the same, since a Patronus’ shape reflects the caster’s personality^[1] and an Animagus’ form is determined by their personality and inner traits^[2].  In a lot of cultures we see that the shapes a person is forced to take is meant not only as an extension of who they are, but also as a means of communicating an important message or lesson that must be learned.  When a student expresses interest in finding their spirit animal and I walk them through the process (from a psionic qi perspective, not a Native American one), I explain that whichever animals choose to come to them in their trance state will communicate an integral part of, or flaw in, their character.  Thus the allure of the Animagus isn’t just about “how cool is this, I can turn into an animal?” but also “what does this say about me” and “how can I make the most of this trait?”

     At the character level, based on the above, I’m curious to see what form DJ might (otherwise) take as an Animagus, since he is in such a state of flux right now between “light” and Dark, and his personality is undergoing a lot of changes (ahh, adolescence).  I originally envisioned him as a falcon, even though we haven’t seen any avian Animagi since ancient times (Chocolate Frog cards list Falco Aesalon, Cliodna, and Morgan le Fay).  Obviously based on my entries above I looked over some other birds of prey and decided that the golden eagle was the most appropriate based on DJ’s appearance.  It works well with what has been cemented about DJ’s personality – he is cunning (Slytherin), intelligent (almost a Ravenclaw), and prefers to work alone (predatory and non-flocking).

     Plotwise, I enjoy the challenge set by the MH staff that Animagus training takes a long time and is very difficult, and we’ve never really seen that in the Harry Potter books.  Rowling touched on Sirius and James figuring it out on their own and helping Peter to finish his transformation, but we don’t really see the day-to-day tedium of acclimating your body molecule by molecule to a “permanent” switch.  With DJ just finishing his fifth year at Hogwarts and presumably getting high marks in his Transfiguration O.W.L., now is the perfect time to start the years-long training.  No matter how good DJ has been at Transfiguration up to this point, I don’t intend to have him rush the learning process.  In fact I’m almost considering having him fail halfway through (but I like the idea of achievement too much to let that happen... probably...)

Student’s Application:  When DJ’s third-year Transfiguration class was first introduced to Animagi, he was absolutely fascinated by the concept.  It represented to him a significant mastery of magic and knowledge of Transfiguration, as well as a powerful talent and status.  At the time, Voldemort was in control of the British Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts attendance was mandatory; DJ had already begun studying Dark Curses from the book his mother sent him, and was looking for any other ways to become powerful enough to take care of himself.

     The idea of becoming an Animagus himself was alluring for three reasons. First, it was a power that few others mastered; second, it required high Transfiguration skill, which he possessed; and third, it was a challenge, which he enjoyed as a self-motivated individual.  Even after the Battle of Hogwarts, it remained a focal point for DJ in his scholastic pursuits.  He pushed himself harder than ever in Transfiguration and beat himself up over his (few) failures because he knew that when he took his O.W.L.s, he would need an Outstanding in Transfiguration to convince (then-professor) Bronté that he could handle the additional workload of studying to become an Animagus.  Since the O.W.L.s have arrived and he is on the brink of this life-changing moment, DJ is more determined than ever to succeed.

Future plots: 

• Rosaline Bane.  Rosaline has agreed to a few mentoring sessions with DJ, in exchange for taking an Unbreakable Vow to never reveal that Rosaline is an unregistered Animagus.


• Keela Doyle and Kendall Byrd.  DJ will let his two closest classmate-friends – one Gryffindor, one Slytherin – know about his Animagus training.  The training will have an affect on their Light/Dark/love triangle, and how he develops his personal identity and his feelings for both of them will have a heavy impact on the form he eventually takes.



• In addition, this would be a fantastic opportunity to have the training as a plot itself – arduous hours of practice and lessons, studying theory, learning the basics of self-Transfiguration, meditating to accomplish self-awareness and sentience for when DJ enters his animal shape, and the all-important month of keeping a Mandrake leaf in one’s mouth (wouldn’t really be looking forward to that if it was happening to me).


• I would love to do some one-on-one plots with whoever ends up taking the Transfiguration post at Hogwarts, and maybe some of the other Transfiguration “pros” of the MH world (not including Mssr. Améliore because RPing with oneself is a complex waiting to happen).


• Eventually, assuming DJ actually completes the training and becomes a registered Animagus, this would open up a number of other options for utilising the skill, though admittedly if he didn’t end up as a bird I’m not sure what sorts of situations these would be.

RP sample using the feature:

This was the moment DJ had been waiting for.  Thousands of hours of reading and memorizing and concentrating and practicing, all led to his first Animagus transfiguration.  He knew that continued concentration was critical, but he was so excited that for once he couldn’t hide his feelings behind a blasé mask.

He looked down at his bare feet, deciding to start from there and go slowly. His toenails thickened, bubbled up, arced out and turned into talons while his toes stretched out and his heel sprouted another talon. His legs started scaling over and his knees suddenly reversed with a sickening squelch noise.  His robes flared out and then started to tear into strips all by themselves, fastening themselves to his sides and back and rolling into feathers.  DJ could feel the wind in every fibre of every feather shaft. The transformation swelled up to his chest and he spread his arms wide, throwing his head back, as his arms melded into his sleeves and became wings. Finally his chin and nose jutted out and came to a curved point, and his eyes slid backward a little bit to give him a greater range of peripheral vision.  Apparently during the entire process he had been shrinking too, as he now stood three feet tall posturing with his chest out.

Excitedly, he forgot all else in his rush to get into the air, beating his powerful wings and getting enough lift to get his feet off the ground.  He aimed for the window in the Great Hall, which opened just as he reached it, and he flew out over the top of Hogwarts Castle.  The thermals were fantastic today... it took so little effort to catch them and soar up, up, far up. The Castle was still impressive but it seemed so distant.  He could see the entire grounds, the Forbidden Forest reaching out toward the mountains.  Clouds blew past him and breezes swirled merrily around him.  DJ let out a raptor cry of pure ecstasy and dove toward the lake as if he were hunting.  What a feeling of freedom!!!

The next moment, however, his cry turned from joy to fear as he tried to pull out of the dive and discovered that he couldn’t.  Why can’t I get my wings to work?! DJ panicked, flapping wildly but still falling, tumbling end over end toward the lake below him.  Suddenly a large bubble blossomed on top of the water’s surface and exploded as the giant squid flew up toward him, rows of enormous teeth in its circular mouth aimed at DJ, sunlight glinting off thousands of droplets of flying lake water in midair and blinding DJ...

...and DJ’s eyes snapped open, staring at the refraction of sunlight through lake water on the ceiling above his dormitory bed.  DJ groaned, turned over and faceplanted into his pillow. Five years to go, he thought.

[mick]Approved![/mick]

Name: Jared
Character name: Volya Nikolov
Feature you are applying for: Zealot Hor


Description of the character:

Volya is gentle, kind and wants everyone to be friends, to put it into a few words. However he's a fierce duelist when it calls for it, using it as a form of what he calls, "diplomatic discourse". He is not opinionless, although he does choose to hide those to avoid conflict. Although, if his very being is violated by someone else's views, he will speak up for himself. His reluctance to share his opinion can be detrimental to his more politically focused counterparts. He preaches compromise, active listening, and overall harmony.

At the end of the day, he's an adorable, go with the flow, awkward almost 30 year old who seeks balance in the world.

Application:
First of all, I've wanted an elemental since the first go around, and I finally have a character where it makes sense to have him be an Elemental. As far as I can tell, Water elementals are the diplomats of the council, promoting neutrality and solving disputes rather easily. Volya here is similar, he doesn't like conflict, in fact he abhors it. He's like the calm in the ocean, smoothing out everything calmly and coolly. Hor Elementals hold their tongues as far as their own opinions generally, because they like being mediators, rather like a stream guiding a boat downriver. 

In addition, I know that Hor Elementals are very dutiful and faithful to things. It is very similar to Mr. Nikolov's, who loves his job and is excited each day to do it. He would be extremely faithful to the council, upholding his duties as a Hor Zealot well. In personal relationships, he's dutiful and loyal to his determent usually. He isn't one to bring up a problem directly, rather steer the conversation towards the problem on it.

Finally, Volya is just.. pretty much perfect for a Hor Elemental, and I'd like to prove that by being able to role-play him with this trait.
Future plots:
Alain - meeting, discussing runes, something romantic-ish with them
Rozenn - Training on fighting, kind of an antagonistic relationship
Demeter - Training on council etiquette and secondary element research
Nikodim - Knew him since he was eleven, introduced him to Brynja, still teaching him the ancient languages of the council
Candelario - Teaching him various other things, wise person to go to other than Nikodim and Brynja.
I mean pretty much the whole Elemental Council I want to rp with for various reasons but these are pretty important ones, ones I think would offer me the most character development. There is an especially important set of threads I want to do with his secondary element. Figuring out the best for him, and who to learn it from. He wants to be sure if that is the right things for him.
If there are more rogue plotlines, I want him to be tempted by the allure and power of being a rogue, and ultimate freedom to be what he wants to be., but probably, most likely stay with the council.

RP sample using the feature:

A male figure stood barefoot, waded ankle-deep in the ocean water. His arms were outstretched as if he wanted to wrap the ocean in a warm embrace. He breathed in and out deeply, filling nostrils with the scent of the ocean. He was so at peace here, there was no one around but him and the sea creatures and honestly, he wouldn't have it any other way. Especially since he was about to reveal that he in fact wasn't quite a normal human.

He was in fact, an Elemental; a being of ethereal origins. These beings manipulated nature around them to help or harm humankind. Volya Nikolov was one that wanted to help humankind, although today, he would be disturbing the homes of fish with his activities. He felt the waves gently caressing his ankles, as if assuring him he was safe. He spoke then, in an ancient tongue of sorts. The water surrounding him warped up in a small funnel around him. He felt it twist him into it, enveloping him like a blanket.

After all these years, it was a novelty to be able to breath underwater despite having no breathing apparatus. All he had to do it seemed, was make sure there was a small pocket of air around his head at all times. That worried him even less in his ethereal state as he literally became his element. After a few moments of doing a sort of a reverse pirouette (and some quiet ancient spell) around in the funnel, the water slowly fell back into place and he descended back into the shallow bit of water he was in before. The man allowed himself to be wet, letting the water soak his shirt and shorts. He walked slowly out of the water, a tired look etched on his face. He flopped on the hot sand of the beach area, tipped his hat over his eyes, and fell asleep.

Although, not really sleep, meditation. He willed himself to transform into his ethereal state, settling as a little orb of water just above the sand. All that was left were the little straw hat, his shirt and shorts. He allowed himself a few hours to recuperate, materializing as a human again. He got dressed, put his hat jauntily on his head, and went back towards town.   

Name: Tye
Character name: Pyxis Abercrombie
Feature you are applying for: Expert Occlumens and Competent Legilimens

For a long time I was convinced I would never apply for a special feature again. However, from the earliest stages of Pyxis creation I realised that skills in Occlumency and Legilimency were perfectly suited to the character. Unlike other special features canon does not provide us with a checklist of attributes every legilimens and occlumens must have. However, I believe there are attributes one can reasonably conclude are required based on the knowledge we are given about the arts of Occlumency and Legilimency. For this application I will identify what these attributes are, how I feel Pyxis suits them, and discuss, how within the context of his life so far, it makes sense for him to have picked up knowledge on these branches of magic.

"Fools who wear their hearts proudly on their sleeves, who cannot control their emotions, who wallow in sad memories and allow themselves to be provoked this easily -- weak people, in other words -- they stand no chance against his powers! He will penetrate your mind with absurd ease, Potter!" ¹

The one attribute, as shown in the quote above, canon explicitly tells us is required of an occlumens is the ability to maintain control of themselves. An occlumens must have an innate ability to suppress the thoughts and emotions they do not wish a legilimens to see. From a young age Pyxis was taught to assume a ‘mask’ in public. He was taught to play the reserved gentleman who did not display his emotions in front of others. He was taught not to reveal anything to others he did not want them to see. This need for self-control was only heightened when he joined the ranks of the Deatheaters where perceived weakness could lead to one’s death. This life time quest for self-control has left Pyxis with the ability to separate himself from unwanted emotions that is needed to study Occlumency.

In canon we are told that an expert occlumens will be able to manipulate the memories and emotions a legilimens seek, so that the legilimens is unaware Occlumency is being employed against them. Based on this information one can conclude strong observational skills are required of both a legilimens and an occlumens. The occlumens must be aware of the details within the memory they wish to alter. If they change what is said by someone then they must be aware of little details such as that persons accent, the rate at which they speak, whether they speak formally or informally, to ensure it matches the rest of the memory. If they wish to change details about the area, the memory took place; they need to be aware of what aspects of the setting need to be changed in order to fool a legilimens. On the flip side a legilimens needs to be observant when dealing with a skilled occlumens. They need to analyse the memory they are viewing for signs of inconsistency in the information they are being presented. A legilimens needs to be able to see past the lies. In addition to this a legilimens need to be observant enough about the behaviour of those around them to determine when an individual is behaving suspiciously enough to warrant using Legilimency. This is an attribute that I feel fits Pyxis perfectly. Brought up in a formal society where every expression is said to have multiple meanings and every word several hidden nuances he was taught to closely analyse everything that was occurring around him. This attention to detail will help him excel in his use of both occlumency and legilimency. 

Legilimency is the art of using magic to access the emotions and memories of others. It can therefore be assumed that to study the art one must be  ruthless (as this is a gross violation of another person’s privacy) and have a desire to know all about those surrounding him. Pyxis does possess these attributes. His ruthlessness (and lack of concern for the rights of others) can be seen through his willingness to murder, and torture, muggleborns and those who opposed Lord Voldemort during the second wizarding war. Likewise his desire to control others is reflected through his willingness to use blackmail and extortion to control others when he deems it necessary.

Legilimency and Occlumency are both specialised branches of magic, which are not taught in the standard curriculum of a wizarding school. However, as the descendant of two rich and influential pureblood familiesI feel it is reasonable to argue Pyxis was in a position to find out information about these obscure areas of magic. If approved, he will have begun to study both arts under his maternal grandfather the summer after he graduated from Hogwarts. As an approved rich and influential family with a history of involving themselves in politics the Hartridge’s will have passed along skills in these branches of magic’s for generations. This is to protect the secrets of their family from blackmail and extortion and likewise blackmail and gain control of those they consider foolish for not doing the same thing.

In the present day I am applying for Pyxis to be an expert occlumens who is capable of manipulating his memories and emotions in order to fool the unsuspecting legilimens, while he will be a competent legilimens who can (using a wand) find the surface emotions and memories of non-occlumens and those with very weak Occlumency skills. The differing levels of his skills in these arts is owing to the circumstances Pyxis has found himself confronted with since he began to study both arts ten years ago. During the second wizarding war he was a Deatheater who often found himself in the company of the upper echelons of the ministry due to his family’s political connections. Therefore it was of the utmost importance that he was capable of protecting his mind from prying eyes. In addition to this, finding himself surrounded by fellow Deatheaters (many of whom were ambitious and willing to backstab others in their quest for powers) made Pyxis even more determined to shield his mind from all others prying his mind. Arguably the most important historical event where this feature came into play was his Deatheater trial shortly after the defeat of Lord Voldemort. If approved he will have used Occlumency to lie under Veritaserum so a potential life sentence in Azkaban was reduced to a mere two years. As a result of these key events, where Pyxis felt he needed to focus more intently on developing his skills as an occlumens, his training in Legilimency was neglected in comparison. However, he would have practised his Legilimency skills on unsuspecting prisoners during the events of Deathly Hallows alongside the interrogation missions he was sent on with Dieter Meer, which is how he developed the Legilimency competency he currently employs.

²
     • As the Sleep No More plot progresses Persephone Bane will grow concerned about the possibility of the plot being discovered and the consequences said discovery would have for her and her family. In order to reduce the chances of discovery by outsiders she will approach Pyxis and request that he train her sleepers Rosaline Bane and Basil Stringfellow in basic Occlumency. Pyxis will consent to this request with the condition that all three take an unbreakable vow of silence to ensure the extent of his Occlumency skills remain unknown. From this point on he will train them both, over the course of several threads, with a teaching method that will involve meditation, discussion and pensieves. ³

     • During the second wizarding war Pyxis was occasionally paired up with fellow legilimens Dieter Meer to interrogate those with information the Deatheaters sought. There were several reasons for this partnership. Firstly, so that Pyxis would receive an opportunity to practice his rudimentary skills and receive tips from someone more skilled at the art, and a second, unspoken reason, was so there would be another witness to these interrogations as the upper echelons of the Deatheaters did not fully trust Dieter. These experiences led to the two men forming a mutual respect for one another and enough fear to ensure neither wished to cross the other. Once he is released from Azkaban, and reasonably recovered from his stay, he will seek to find the Deatheaters who murdered his Uncle's family and make an example of them. Pyxis will go to Dieter for aid in this endeavour as he remembers what a good team they made. The Abercrombie will seek to perform the actual legilimency and torture himself and will mainly ask Dieter to provide him with tips on improving his abilities so he can find out the information he seeks.

     • As plans for the Stringfellow's Coup d'ėtat against their current patriarch Yarrow progress, the eldest of the current generation, Valerian Stringfellow will approach Pyxis for an alliance. He will propose allowing Pyxis access to his sister Amaranth, and the knowledge at her disposal, in exchange for Pyxis using his connections to ensure the families the Hartridge's are aligned with will not interfere in the coup. After this alliance is formed Pyxis will find himself in an altercation with Violet Stringfellow, who is incidentally the favoured grandchild of Yarrow. He will use Legilimency on her as a warning not to cross him. It is then he stumbles upon memories of conversations she has had with Yarrow, as Violet panics and inadvertently makes the very memories she sought to hide the easiest for him to access. Pyxis will inform Valerian of this and from then on they ensure Violet 'casually' runs into him during social events. During these encounters Pyxis will discretely use Legilimency on Violet to discover further secrets of Yarrow's Valerian can use against him.

     • In addition to the above plots, which are very specific (and have been discussed with the drivers of all the characters mentioned) there are a number of general situations in which I feel the feature may be put to use. As an expert in Occlumency I will be in the position to offer Pyxis as an instructor to those with dark aligned characters who wish to apply in future. Likewise his Legilimency skills will be available to use for plots where it is time for previously well hid secrets to see the light of day. As well as this Pyxis may find himself in a position whilst dealing with the other wakers for the Sleep No More plot, or the pureblood heirs he will align with to fix the ailing class system in Britain as a part of the Original Families plot, where he will feel the need to use legilimency to ensure he has the upper hand. Of course if such a scenario occurs I will PM the driver of the character involved so that we can discuss it and come up with a solution both parties are comfortable with.

The ballroom he stood in was the height of elegance and taste Pyxis mused as he moved across the floor in search of the one he sought. The walls that surrounded them with their intricately designed columns were practically gleaming due to the care that had been taken to ensure they looked their best. The floor between their feet possessed a wooden appearance and was clearly kept in pristine condition. There were flowers and foliage scattered throughout the room to create a charming background for the guests. Black suited waiters circled the floor offering refreshments to those guests who were not too busy to consider them an intrusion. The wine they served was from France and was a favourite of the hosts. On the wall that opposed the entrance stood the musicians who had been appointed to play carefully selected classical music to create an appropriate ambiance. They too wore outfits, which had been carefully crafted by a designer of the host’s choice to ensure they radiated the sophisticated air they were aiming to exude.

Like the ballroom his grandmother had meticulously designed Pyxis Abercrombie was dressed to remind their guests of the elite blood that flowed through the Hartridge’s veins. The former Deatheater was clad in a fair of bespoke midnight blue dress robes, which had been fitted to emphasise his muscular build without crossing the border to crass. His pitch black hair was currently shoulder length and groomed so that it would accentuate the sharp features of his handsome face. His grey-blue eyes possessed a sparkle, which he intended to give the impression he was enjoying himself. Unseen by all was the eleven inch dragon heartstring wand, which was carefully concealed beneath his left sleeve.

On the surface it would appear Pyxis was a master at playing the perfect host. He offered compliments to the ladies and exchanged a kiss to the cheek or hand (it depended on the lady in questions preference), while he spoke of the weather or equestrian accomplishments with the gentlemen who crossed his path. It was inappropriate after all to discuss anything more serious with anyone not deemed a close family friend in such a setting. However, in truth, he was a man on a mission. He was in search of one Violet Stringfellow. A member of the disgraced Stringfellow family she was not someone a man of his station ought to be seeking, which was why he had to ensure his search was not easily noticed. Besides he did not want the beautiful blond to become suspicious of his motives. No, it was much better to make it seem as though their eventual encounter was a thing of chance.

At last, he found her in the company of a male who looked as though he was barely old enough to have graduated from Hogwarts. Although she was clearly attempting to be polite Pyxis could tell from the way the blond haired Stringfellow gently tapped her fingers against the glass, in her left hand, the that she was in fact bored. He internally smirked. Having her feel relief at a rescue from such drudgery would only serve to serve his plans better. The Hartridge heir made his way over to the two and offered an apologetic smile to the boy “Balthazar, I do believe your mother was looking for you. You had best find her before you incur her wrath” the red faced boy quickly disappeared thus providing them with the privacy the twenty eight year old sought. The pureblood leant in to kiss the cheek that was proffered by Violet before proceeding to engage his new companion in small talk.

When enough time had passed the legilimens deemed it was time to put his plan into action. The twenty year old discreetly moved the wand concealed beneath his sleeve so that it made just enough contact for Legilimency to work. Pyxis maintained eye contact as he outwardly regaled her with a charming tale from his childhood. Internally however he incanted a non-verbal ‘legilimens’. His legilimency probe was gentle to begin with, as he did not wish to risk losing control and making it harsh enough for her to detect. For the moment he could only sense the emotion of his unsuspecting companion. It was difficult sensing the emotions of others. Sometimes it took the Hartridge heir a while to decipher exactly what it was he sensed. In this instance however he comprehended it quickly. Violet was feeling the boredom he himself often felt when confronted with someone whose company he considered a burden rather than a pleasure. Pyxis’ ego might have been bruised had he not been so focused on completing the task he had agreed to undertake for Valerian.

The Abercrombie discretely took a deep breath as he mentally prepared himself to strengthen his legilimency probe. “And how is your delightful grandfather doing? I was disappointed to hear he could not be here tonight”. The query was intended to ensure that her mind wandered to the topic he wished to find out information about. Unfortunately he had not yet mastered the art of reading more than the surface memories of his victims. Especially when he was trying to do so in a discrete manner as he was in that moment.

All of a sudden Pyxis found himself in the garden of the Stringfellow’s St. Andrew’s estate. Before him stood Violet and the aging patriarch who seemed to be holding an intent discussion. He moved closer so he could hear the words that were exchanged between the two. A frown appearing on the handsome features of his memory projection as the older man exchanged plans with his favoured grandfather he was certain his ally Valerian would not approve of. Once he had decided he had gleamed enough information he extracted himself from the memory just in time to hear the conclusion of Violet’s comment. He felt tired as the usage of such strong mind magic had mentally drained him. It took all he had to ensure his constant Occlumency shields remained in place. “Well do send him my regards, but I am afraid I must go. I would not want any of the other guests to accuse me of playing favourites”. The Hartridge heir offered the blond haired Stringfellow a teasing wink before turning around and disappearing into the crowd that occupied the ballroom. ⁴




1. Taken from Order of the Phoenix Chapter 24 'Occlumency'
2. All plots and specifics characters mentioned in this section have received approval from the relevant drivers.
3. Pending Lisa and Dylan's applications.
4. I received permission from Bridget for the use of Violet in this example.

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Name:  Taed
Character Name:  Aiolos Logothetis

Aiolos Logothetis was born in Distrato, Greece, on January 29, 1946 - the result of a night of celebration by his parents after the defeat of Gellert Grindelwald by Albus Dumbledore.  His parents were Muggleborns and they were excited to see their child inherit the same magical powers that they had been born with.  After a childhood in Konitsa, Aiolos was preparing to go to Beauxbatons in fall of 1957, but upon being fitted for a wand, his family discovered that he had a serious impediment to using wand magic.  Almost every time he tried to cast any spell, the wand would fly out of his hand as if being blown away.  In addition to starting at Beauxbatons, his parents hired a number of private tutors to work with him over the holidays (the only reason Aiolos even made it through his first few years of school), until the summer after his third year, when one tutor told Aiolos' parents that she knew what his magic was - Elementalism.  She took Aiolos to Inverness and submitted him to the tutelage of the Typh Zealots.

Due to his late start, Aiolos did not go through his Initialisation ritual until his fourth year at Beauxbatons.  By this time he was so thrilled with his Elemental abilities and still so grateful to have found his true talents, that he asked for his rune to be placed next to his heart.  The spiral Typh scar covers his entire left pectoral.

Aiolos graduated from Beauxbatons in 1964 and returned to Inverness full-time to fulfil his Advocate years under the Typh Zealots.  He completed this stage of his training in 1972 and became a Zealot for the Council, but only maintained this role for about six or seven years before realising that he preferred to stay close to the Council.  With his strong connexion to the element, he approached the Council and was trained for a year to become an Acolyte of the Typh Shrine.  Since 1979 he has remained in this capacity, devoting himself to the care of the Typh Shrine and working as a diplomat on behalf of the Harbingers among the other Acolytes at Inverness.

Aiolos is constantly pondering how far Elemental powers such as his own can extend.  He has a natural tendency to "test the waters" and experiment, on his own or with others, trying to understand the ancient undercurrents of the runic magic that Elementals use.  He is loyal to the Council by default, in gratitude for rescuing him from what he once perceived as a magical handicap, but more importantly he is very dedicated to his element and could (hypothetically) be turned against the Council if he ever felt they were betraying or misusing Typh.  He feels a family connexion to all other Typh elementals, harboring feelings of care of nurture for them especially. 

New as I am to MH, I haven't delved into the site's original feature of Elementalism until now.  Some of the facets of the feature bear a striking resemblance to psionology (or psionic qi), which I teach to high schoolers during the summers - although the number of elements that the Council recognises is greater  .  In psionology, which is the relational study of energy [physics] to qi [esoterics], an element is a fundamental (or building block) subtype of qi representing a conceptual attribute.  In MH's Elementalism, an element is a fundamental rune that represents a conceptual identity.  Most Elementals deal exclusively in their own element, with some achieving a second affinity - or in other words, expanding their personality and worldview.

As I was perusing the list of Elementals, it occurred to me that there are two ranks that have absolutely no representatives played by MH drivers currently: Advocates, and Acolytes.  (Alain informs me that he is an Advocate, but he is listed as Disciplus on the Approved Features list.)  Acolytes seem like they would have a relatively simple life -- and in a world full of explosive magic, battles between Dark and Light wizards, random happenings in magic classes, and big destinies unfolding, a glimpse at a quiet, everyday, mundane life seems like a nice change from the norm.  I'd like to take a glimpse at the life of a man who so appreciates learning who and what he is, that he is willing to dedicate his life to caring for his element's seat of power.

Elementals

• Candelario Sandoval - the Harbinger Incin, who was an Acolyte studying his second affinity Typh when Aiolos was a young Disciplus.  They bonded over the years and developed a strong trust-friendship when Lario's son passed away, which in turn contributed to Aiolos' decision to also become an Acolyte.  Even after Lario's ascendance to Harbinger they continue to be close.  Currently they are discussing theories about Elemental powers and preparing to attempt a few simple experiments.


• Rozenn Seznec - the Harbinger Demin.  Unlike many at Inverness who see Rozenn's former association with a Zealot Garth and the resulting pythia child as a disgrace to the Council, Aiolos sees the events as a sad occurrence, a chance at love destroyed by one of the few tragic consequences of Elementalism and a devastating loss of life when poor Katell died.  While not outspoken or verbal about it to anyone, he is deferential to Rozenn and puts extra effort into giving what assistance he can to the Harbinger.


• Nikodim Balaur - a particularly friendly Zealot Incin.


• Volya Nikolov - a Zealot Hor, quite possibly closest in age to Aiolos, who shares Aiolos' diplomatic sensibilities.


• Memphis Gredel - a Zealot of Aiolos' own element, Typh.


• Nolan Cairns - an ambitious Zealot Demin who believes that Elementals should have more power in the world.  While Aiolos clashes with him on some ideas, his general open-minded nature and his desire to learn more about the limits of Elemental power leads him to discuss theoreticals with Nolan and utilise his knowledge of the Demin Element.


• Alain St. Clare - an Advocate Typh.  The charming young man has captured the professional and personal interest of Aiolos, who believes that Alain has a great destiny and a future working with the Council.  In the interest of getting to know the Frenchman and helping him hone his Typh skills as much as possible, Aiolos makes it a special priority to meet with Alain whenever the Advocate comes to Inverness and Aiolos has spare time from his duties.


• Kanat Zhanalin - a Disciplus Hor and nearly-graduated Durmstrang student.  While not of Aiolos' element, Kanat has approached Aiolos with questions about the life of, and training to be, an Acolyte.  Aiolos is more than happy to contribute his knowledge and will allow Kanat to shadow him at his job, with the permission of his training Zealot.  In addition to possible RP threads at Inverness, Kanat and Aiolos might exchange letters by owl as well.


• Linnet Willowsong - a Disciplus Madin, about whom Aiolos has some reservations.


• Any other Council Elementals

Nonelementals

• Dragomir Şerbănescu - the Durmstrang Alchemy professor.  Having recently had some of his suspicions about Elementals confirmed, Drago has attempted to reach out to the Elemental Council and has gotten in touch with Acolyte Aiolos, who must decide whether to meet with the professor and how much to tell him.

In addition to the above pre-arranged plots, I would also like to depict Aiolos' struggle with whether or not to pursue a second affinity, given his dedication to the Typh Shrine and concerns over dividing his attentions.

This time, most certainly, Aiolos thought in the maelstrom of his consciousness, taking a few more minutes in his elemental form.  The month of May was his, other Acolytes tending the Typh Shrine, and as always he chose to spend a solid 95% of the time morphed in his private quarters, with occasional breaks (such as the one he was about to employ) to either research his Element or practise his existing skills.

The whirling wind that was Aiolos' current form began to condense and solidify, the clear air taking on a faint yellow-green hue like a pollen cloud as it gathered itself together and its speed decreased, Aiolos' nearly naked form becoming clearer as if he were a mirage in reverse.  He kept his eyes closed, limiting his newly regained vision to the darkness of the back of his eyelids, so as to keep his mind clear and refreshed.  His curls bobbled in the leftover breeze; he barely felt his skintight cambric A-shirt and knicks.  All of his concentration was on this Elemental spell, to see how long he could maintain it.  He felt the familiar swirling rush of energy in the rune next to his heart, and then cast TYPH SPHERO.

A blanket of air, very much like a wafting sheet, exploded out of his heart and at breakneck speeds ribboned into a bubble that surrounded Aiolos, lifting him off the ground and keeping him from touching the floor.  Once off the floor he opened his eyes so that he could observe the outside of his sphere.  While normally one would use this spell underwater, it would be impractical to fill his monastic cell with water.  This was simply a measure of his ability to keep the spell going without exhausting himself unnecessarily.  He wasn't even going to wait until he started to fatigue, which would be a waste of energy.  Just ten minutes was all he was after.  He had accomplished eight minutes before.

A monotonous, mantra-like count of seconds ticked across his mind as he continued to scan the thinly spread, rapidly moving winds that surrounded him and kept him levitated.  Cúig céad nóch'a haon cúig céad nóch'a dó cúig céad nóch'a trí cúig céad nóch'a ceithr -- his rune felt just as strong as it had before -- cúig céad nóch'a cúig cúig céad nóch'a sé cúig céad nóch'a seacht -- he still could not see any breaks in his sphere -- cúig céad nóch'a ocht cúig céad nóch'a naoi sé chéad.  A beatific grin spread across Aiolos' features.  He had done it.  Patiently, lightly, lovingly, he released the winds that he had kept surrounding him, letting them go at their own rate rather than quickly terminating the spell.  He bowed his head and thanked the winds for answering his request once again, thanking them for guiding the Council, and thanking them for keeping him alive as his very breath.  Then he took another deep breath of his own, and prepared to go back into his morphed form.  There were still two weeks left of May.

Name: Jared
Character name: Volya Nikolov
Feature you are applying for: Zealot Hor


Description of the character:

Volya is gentle, kind and wants everyone to be friends, to put it into a few words. However he's a fierce duelist when it calls for it, using it as a form of what he calls, "diplomatic discourse". He is not opinionless, although he does choose to hide those to avoid conflict. Although, if his very being is violated by someone else's views, he will speak up for himself. His reluctance to share his opinion can be detrimental to his more politically focused counterparts. He preaches compromise, active listening, and overall harmony.

At the end of the day, he's an adorable, go with the flow, awkward almost 30 year old who seeks balance in the world.

Application:
First of all, I've wanted an elemental since the first go around, and I finally have a character where it makes sense to have him be an Elemental. As far as I can tell, Water elementals are the diplomats of the council, promoting neutrality and solving disputes rather easily. Volya here is similar, he doesn't like conflict, in fact he abhors it. He's like the calm in the ocean, smoothing out everything calmly and coolly. Hor Elementals hold their tongues as far as their own opinions generally, because they like being mediators, rather like a stream guiding a boat downriver. 

In addition, I know that Hor Elementals are very dutiful and faithful to things. It is very similar to Mr. Nikolov's, who loves his job and is excited each day to do it. He would be extremely faithful to the council, upholding his duties as a Hor Zealot well. In personal relationships, he's dutiful and loyal to his determent usually. He isn't one to bring up a problem directly, rather steer the conversation towards the problem on it.

Finally, Volya is just.. pretty much perfect for a Hor Elemental, and I'd like to prove that by being able to role-play him with this trait.
Future plots:
Alain - meeting, discussing runes, something romantic-ish with them
Rozenn - Training on fighting, kind of an antagonistic relationship
Demeter - Training on council etiquette and secondary element research
Nikodim - Knew him since he was eleven, introduced him to Brynja, still teaching him the ancient languages of the council
Candelario - Teaching him various other things, wise person to go to other than Nikodim and Brynja.
I mean pretty much the whole Elemental Council I want to rp with for various reasons but these are pretty important ones, ones I think would offer me the most character development. There is an especially important set of threads I want to do with his secondary element. Figuring out the best for him, and who to learn it from. He wants to be sure if that is the right things for him.
If there are more rogue plotlines, I want him to be tempted by the allure and power of being a rogue, and ultimate freedom to be what he wants to be., but probably, most likely stay with the council.

RP sample using the feature:

A male figure stood barefoot, waded ankle-deep in the ocean water. His arms were outstretched as if he wanted to wrap the ocean in a warm embrace. He breathed in and out deeply, filling nostrils with the scent of the ocean. He was so at peace here, there was no one around but him and the sea creatures and honestly, he wouldn't have it any other way. Especially since he was about to reveal that he in fact wasn't quite a normal human.

He was in fact, an Elemental; a being of ethereal origins. These beings manipulated nature around them to help or harm humankind. Volya Nikolov was one that wanted to help humankind, although today, he would be disturbing the homes of fish with his activities. He felt the waves gently caressing his ankles, as if assuring him he was safe. He spoke then, in an ancient tongue of sorts. The water surrounding him warped up in a small funnel around him. He felt it twist him into it, enveloping him like a blanket.

After all these years, it was a novelty to be able to breath underwater despite having no breathing apparatus. All he had to do it seemed, was make sure there was a small pocket of air around his head at all times. That worried him even less in his ethereal state as he literally became his element. After a few moments of doing a sort of a reverse pirouette (and some quiet ancient spell) around in the funnel, the water slowly fell back into place and he descended back into the shallow bit of water he was in before. The man allowed himself to be wet, letting the water soak his shirt and shorts. He walked slowly out of the water, a tired look etched on his face. He flopped on the hot sand of the beach area, tipped his hat over his eyes, and fell asleep.

Although, not really sleep, meditation. He willed himself to transform into his ethereal state, settling as a little orb of water just above the sand. All that was left were the little straw hat, his shirt and shorts. He allowed himself a few hours to recuperate, materializing as a human again. He got dressed, put his hat jauntily on his head, and went back towards town.

[spen]Please check your PMs.[/spen]

Name: Tye
Character name: Pyxis Abercrombie
Feature you are applying for: Expert Occlumens and Competent Legilimens

For a long time I was convinced I would never apply for a special feature again. However, from the earliest stages of Pyxis creation I realised that skills in Occlumency and Legilimency were perfectly suited to the character. Unlike other special features canon does not provide us with a checklist of attributes every legilimens and occlumens must have. However, I believe there are attributes one can reasonably conclude are required based on the knowledge we are given about the arts of Occlumency and Legilimency. For this application I will identify what these attributes are, how I feel Pyxis suits them, and discuss, how within the context of his life so far, it makes sense for him to have picked up knowledge on these branches of magic.

"Fools who wear their hearts proudly on their sleeves, who cannot control their emotions, who wallow in sad memories and allow themselves to be provoked this easily -- weak people, in other words -- they stand no chance against his powers! He will penetrate your mind with absurd ease, Potter!" ¹

The one attribute, as shown in the quote above, canon explicitly tells us is required of an occlumens is the ability to maintain control of themselves. An occlumens must have an innate ability to suppress the thoughts and emotions they do not wish a legilimens to see. From a young age Pyxis was taught to assume a ‘mask’ in public. He was taught to play the reserved gentleman who did not display his emotions in front of others. He was taught not to reveal anything to others he did not want them to see. This need for self-control was only heightened when he joined the ranks of the Deatheaters where perceived weakness could lead to one’s death. This life time quest for self-control has left Pyxis with the ability to separate himself from unwanted emotions that is needed to study Occlumency.

In canon we are told that an expert occlumens will be able to manipulate the memories and emotions a legilimens seek, so that the legilimens is unaware Occlumency is being employed against them. Based on this information one can conclude strong observational skills are required of both a legilimens and an occlumens. The occlumens must be aware of the details within the memory they wish to alter. If they change what is said by someone then they must be aware of little details such as that persons accent, the rate at which they speak, whether they speak formally or informally, to ensure it matches the rest of the memory. If they wish to change details about the area, the memory took place; they need to be aware of what aspects of the setting need to be changed in order to fool a legilimens. On the flip side a legilimens needs to be observant when dealing with a skilled occlumens. They need to analyse the memory they are viewing for signs of inconsistency in the information they are being presented. A legilimens needs to be able to see past the lies. In addition to this a legilimens need to be observant enough about the behaviour of those around them to determine when an individual is behaving suspiciously enough to warrant using Legilimency. This is an attribute that I feel fits Pyxis perfectly. Brought up in a formal society where every expression is said to have multiple meanings and every word several hidden nuances he was taught to closely analyse everything that was occurring around him. This attention to detail will help him excel in his use of both occlumency and legilimency. 

Legilimency is the art of using magic to access the emotions and memories of others. It can therefore be assumed that to study the art one must be  ruthless (as this is a gross violation of another person’s privacy) and have a desire to know all about those surrounding him. Pyxis does possess these attributes. His ruthlessness (and lack of concern for the rights of others) can be seen through his willingness to murder, and torture, muggleborns and those who opposed Lord Voldemort during the second wizarding war. Likewise his desire to control others is reflected through his willingness to use blackmail and extortion to control others when he deems it necessary.

Legilimency and Occlumency are both specialised branches of magic, which are not taught in the standard curriculum of a wizarding school. However, as the descendant of two rich and influential pureblood familiesI feel it is reasonable to argue Pyxis was in a position to find out information about these obscure areas of magic. If approved, he will have begun to study both arts under his maternal grandfather the summer after he graduated from Hogwarts. As an approved rich and influential family with a history of involving themselves in politics the Hartridge’s will have passed along skills in these branches of magic’s for generations. This is to protect the secrets of their family from blackmail and extortion and likewise blackmail and gain control of those they consider foolish for not doing the same thing.

In the present day I am applying for Pyxis to be an expert occlumens who is capable of manipulating his memories and emotions in order to fool the unsuspecting legilimens, while he will be a competent legilimens who can (using a wand) find the surface emotions and memories of non-occlumens and those with very weak Occlumency skills. The differing levels of his skills in these arts is owing to the circumstances Pyxis has found himself confronted with since he began to study both arts ten years ago. During the second wizarding war he was a Deatheater who often found himself in the company of the upper echelons of the ministry due to his family’s political connections. Therefore it was of the utmost importance that he was capable of protecting his mind from prying eyes. In addition to this, finding himself surrounded by fellow Deatheaters (many of whom were ambitious and willing to backstab others in their quest for powers) made Pyxis even more determined to shield his mind from all others prying his mind. Arguably the most important historical event where this feature came into play was his Deatheater trial shortly after the defeat of Lord Voldemort. If approved he will have used Occlumency to lie under Veritaserum so a potential life sentence in Azkaban was reduced to a mere two years. As a result of these key events, where Pyxis felt he needed to focus more intently on developing his skills as an occlumens, his training in Legilimency was neglected in comparison. However, he would have practised his Legilimency skills on unsuspecting prisoners during the events of Deathly Hallows alongside the interrogation missions he was sent on with Dieter Meer, which is how he developed the Legilimency competency he currently employs.

²
     • As the Sleep No More plot progresses Persephone Bane will grow concerned about the possibility of the plot being discovered and the consequences said discovery would have for her and her family. In order to reduce the chances of discovery by outsiders she will approach Pyxis and request that he train her sleepers Rosaline Bane and Basil Stringfellow in basic Occlumency. Pyxis will consent to this request with the condition that all three take an unbreakable vow of silence to ensure the extent of his Occlumency skills remain unknown. From this point on he will train them both, over the course of several threads, with a teaching method that will involve meditation, discussion and pensieves. ³

     • During the second wizarding war Pyxis was occasionally paired up with fellow legilimens Dieter Meer to interrogate those with information the Deatheaters sought. There were several reasons for this partnership. Firstly, so that Pyxis would receive an opportunity to practice his rudimentary skills and receive tips from someone more skilled at the art, and a second, unspoken reason, was so there would be another witness to these interrogations as the upper echelons of the Deatheaters did not fully trust Dieter. These experiences led to the two men forming a mutual respect for one another and enough fear to ensure neither wished to cross the other. Once he is released from Azkaban, and reasonably recovered from his stay, he will seek to find the Deatheaters who murdered his Uncle's family and make an example of them. Pyxis will go to Dieter for aid in this endeavour as he remembers what a good team they made. The Abercrombie will seek to perform the actual legilimency and torture himself and will mainly ask Dieter to provide him with tips on improving his abilities so he can find out the information he seeks.

     • As plans for the Stringfellow's Coup d'ėtat against their current patriarch Yarrow progress, the eldest of the current generation, Valerian Stringfellow will approach Pyxis for an alliance. He will propose allowing Pyxis access to his sister Amaranth, and the knowledge at her disposal, in exchange for Pyxis using his connections to ensure the families the Hartridge's are aligned with will not interfere in the coup. After this alliance is formed Pyxis will find himself in an altercation with Violet Stringfellow, who is incidentally the favoured grandchild of Yarrow. He will use Legilimency on her as a warning not to cross him. It is then he stumbles upon memories of conversations she has had with Yarrow, as Violet panics and inadvertently makes the very memories she sought to hide the easiest for him to access. Pyxis will inform Valerian of this and from then on they ensure Violet 'casually' runs into him during social events. During these encounters Pyxis will discretely use Legilimency on Violet to discover further secrets of Yarrow's Valerian can use against him.

     • In addition to the above plots, which are very specific (and have been discussed with the drivers of all the characters mentioned) there are a number of general situations in which I feel the feature may be put to use. As an expert in Occlumency I will be in the position to offer Pyxis as an instructor to those with dark aligned characters who wish to apply in future. Likewise his Legilimency skills will be available to use for plots where it is time for previously well hid secrets to see the light of day. As well as this Pyxis may find himself in a position whilst dealing with the other wakers for the Sleep No More plot, or the pureblood heirs he will align with to fix the ailing class system in Britain as a part of the Original Families plot, where he will feel the need to use legilimency to ensure he has the upper hand. Of course if such a scenario occurs I will PM the driver of the character involved so that we can discuss it and come up with a solution both parties are comfortable with.

The ballroom he stood in was the height of elegance and taste Pyxis mused as he moved across the floor in search of the one he sought. The walls that surrounded them with their intricately designed columns were practically gleaming due to the care that had been taken to ensure they looked their best. The floor between their feet possessed a wooden appearance and was clearly kept in pristine condition. There were flowers and foliage scattered throughout the room to create a charming background for the guests. Black suited waiters circled the floor offering refreshments to those guests who were not too busy to consider them an intrusion. The wine they served was from France and was a favourite of the hosts. On the wall that opposed the entrance stood the musicians who had been appointed to play carefully selected classical music to create an appropriate ambiance. They too wore outfits, which had been carefully crafted by a designer of the host’s choice to ensure they radiated the sophisticated air they were aiming to exude.

Like the ballroom his grandmother had meticulously designed Pyxis Abercrombie was dressed to remind their guests of the elite blood that flowed through the Hartridge’s veins. The former Deatheater was clad in a fair of bespoke midnight blue dress robes, which had been fitted to emphasise his muscular build without crossing the border to crass. His pitch black hair was currently shoulder length and groomed so that it would accentuate the sharp features of his handsome face. His grey-blue eyes possessed a sparkle, which he intended to give the impression he was enjoying himself. Unseen by all was the eleven inch dragon heartstring wand, which was carefully concealed beneath his left sleeve.

On the surface it would appear Pyxis was a master at playing the perfect host. He offered compliments to the ladies and exchanged a kiss to the cheek or hand (it depended on the lady in questions preference), while he spoke of the weather or equestrian accomplishments with the gentlemen who crossed his path. It was inappropriate after all to discuss anything more serious with anyone not deemed a close family friend in such a setting. However, in truth, he was a man on a mission. He was in search of one Violet Stringfellow. A member of the disgraced Stringfellow family she was not someone a man of his station ought to be seeking, which was why he had to ensure his search was not easily noticed. Besides he did not want the beautiful blond to become suspicious of his motives. No, it was much better to make it seem as though their eventual encounter was a thing of chance.

At last, he found her in the company of a male who looked as though he was barely old enough to have graduated from Hogwarts. Although she was clearly attempting to be polite Pyxis could tell from the way the blond haired Stringfellow gently tapped her fingers against the glass, in her left hand, the that she was in fact bored. He internally smirked. Having her feel relief at a rescue from such drudgery would only serve to serve his plans better. The Hartridge heir made his way over to the two and offered an apologetic smile to the boy “Balthazar, I do believe your mother was looking for you. You had best find her before you incur her wrath” the red faced boy quickly disappeared thus providing them with the privacy the twenty eight year old sought. The pureblood leant in to kiss the cheek that was proffered by Violet before proceeding to engage his new companion in small talk.

When enough time had passed the legilimens deemed it was time to put his plan into action. The twenty year old discreetly moved the wand concealed beneath his sleeve so that it made just enough contact for Legilimency to work. Pyxis maintained eye contact as he outwardly regaled her with a charming tale from his childhood. Internally however he incanted a non-verbal ‘legilimens’. His legilimency probe was gentle to begin with, as he did not wish to risk losing control and making it harsh enough for her to detect. For the moment he could only sense the emotion of his unsuspecting companion. It was difficult sensing the emotions of others. Sometimes it took the Hartridge heir a while to decipher exactly what it was he sensed. In this instance however he comprehended it quickly. Violet was feeling the boredom he himself often felt when confronted with someone whose company he considered a burden rather than a pleasure. Pyxis’ ego might have been bruised had he not been so focused on completing the task he had agreed to undertake for Valerian.

The Abercrombie discretely took a deep breath as he mentally prepared himself to strengthen his legilimency probe. “And how is your delightful grandfather doing? I was disappointed to hear he could not be here tonight”. The query was intended to ensure that her mind wandered to the topic he wished to find out information about. Unfortunately he had not yet mastered the art of reading more than the surface memories of his victims. Especially when he was trying to do so in a discrete manner as he was in that moment.

All of a sudden Pyxis found himself in the garden of the Stringfellow’s St. Andrew’s estate. Before him stood Violet and the aging patriarch who seemed to be holding an intent discussion. He moved closer so he could hear the words that were exchanged between the two. A frown appearing on the handsome features of his memory projection as the older man exchanged plans with his favoured grandfather he was certain his ally Valerian would not approve of. Once he had decided he had gleamed enough information he extracted himself from the memory just in time to hear the conclusion of Violet’s comment. He felt tired as the usage of such strong mind magic had mentally drained him. It took all he had to ensure his constant Occlumency shields remained in place. “Well do send him my regards, but I am afraid I must go. I would not want any of the other guests to accuse me of playing favourites”. The Hartridge heir offered the blond haired Stringfellow a teasing wink before turning around and disappearing into the crowd that occupied the ballroom. ⁴




1. Taken from Order of the Phoenix Chapter 24 'Occlumency'
2. All plots and specifics characters mentioned in this section have received approval from the relevant drivers.
3. Pending Lisa and Dylan's applications.
4. I received permission from Bridget for the use of Violet in this example.

[brid]Approved![/brid]

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Name: Inga
Character name: Nolan Cairns
Feature you are applying for: Elemental ~ Zealot Demin

Description of the character: Nolan Cairns is a very power hungry person. He is 180 years old and has spent most of his life as a member of the Council. Although he has been more or less loyal to the Council for such a long time, Nolan wants to break out of the hierarchy in which he won't ever be able to be the leader He is constantly longing to become more powerful and to give elementals the recognition in the world which he thinks they deserve. Nolan has gained a vast knowledge on different matters in the course of his life and is particularly interested in politics. In his opinion elementals should rule the world as they can control the elements and have a longer life span than other people. This, according to him, gives them an advantage and the right to rule others. Having a high opinion of himself, he naturally sees himself as a born leader.

When Nolan wants something he'll do anything to get what he wants and doesn't hesitate when it comes to using (and abusing) his powers. In his opinion anything is permitted when he wants to reach his goals. He is a rather witty person who tries to use others for his purposes and when they don't do what he wants he might get livid. While he is a loud and bold person he has learned to control his temper over the years. He can be quite charming and cunning when the situation calls for it. After all, he doesn't like to do everything himself and might, therefore, try to make others do the dirty work for him while he stays in charge of the situation in general. He isn't beyond spreading rumours to unsettle the balance in the Council and to confuse new Council elementals.

According to him non-elemental wizards are just unworthy 'wand wavers' that are inferior and should be treated like that. Nolan is obsessed with power and with amassing wealth. He is also extremely greedy and doesn't usually share anything with anyone. Since there have been several situations in which he disagreed with the Council he doesn't show loyalty to anyone anymore. Seeing how the Council disappointed him in some ways as, for example, by supporting muggleborns with the Ward project, he is looking for new directions. The war in the wizarding world was something that instilled the wish in him to demonstrate his power in a fight as well. However, he regarded the battle of the 'wand wavers' as unworthy of his attention. 

Application:
Since Voldemort is gone and we don't have any big canon plot lines to follow anymore and this is our chance to start something original, to start independent plots for either the entire board or smaller groups of characters.

Seeing that there are more and more elementals around and in the works and bigger elemental plots have been discussed already before my time away (and while I was away), I would love to offer the elemental community a character that could bring some 'action'. I am more than willing to offer him for any board wide plots that might come up.

When Nolan was around last time he never got around to leaving the Council. However, he was always meant to cause some trouble in the wizarding world. I'd like to keep that up and, depending on how things develop, non-elementals could get involved as well as Nolan hates the 'wand wavers' and wants to subordinate them.

He is a 'bad guy' that can be taken seriously because he is an experienced elemental who masters his element well. He has no conscience when it comes to reaching his goals.

- He wants to become a very powerful wizard.
- He wants elementals to rule the wizarding world as he deems them much worthier than the non-elementals.
- He wants to amass more and more money.

All these goals are connected to him being a stone elemental.

I am sure that I can play this character well without abusing his powers / without godmoding. Despite all his power Nolan has his fair share of weaknesses and, while he is intelligent, he will not always make the best decisions. Besides I'm sure that the interaction with others will show him his limits. There are characters he will encounter (see future plots) that don't share his views and will become (or already are) his enemies.

I am happy to offer Nolan for more plots than the ones mentioned below which are basically plots with other elementals.
He will not only get into conflicts with them but he will also get in touch with non-elementals and have his fair share of conflicts and possible plots there. Leaving the big plots aside, Nolan is an interesting challenge for me as a roleplayer. He is pretty flexible in his choice of topics as he is not only out for trouble / looking for allies in the elemental scene but is open to flirting with witches (elementals or not) and working in the field of architecture and construction. When I played him last time, I really enjoyed how he was a totally different character than all those I've played before.

Future plots: I have spoken to several drivers and discussed possible plots. Seeing how many MHers are working on elementals, Nolan fits in rather well, especially since he is up for conflict in almost every possible way. I have several plans for what this character could do in the future. Not all ideas will be included in this app though. In fact, I am just listing future interactions with other elementals in this app.

Nolan disliked a couple of decisions the Council made and thinks that the Council is holding him back. He will, therefore, break with the Council  and thus also with the high ranked elementals there.
Carys offered a plot with Lario Sandoval. I'm quite sure Lario and Nolan will clash rather badly and might even end up fighting each other. 
I have also spoken to Julie and we already agreed last time when Nolan was played that he and Peter Alva Tannenbaum would become opponents.

Fee's Rozenn Seznec on the other hand is a character that shares Nolan's views of the elemental Council. However, that's not the only thing they have in common. They're both demin elementals and are also attracted to each other. This might make a powerful combination for the future. I'm eager to play these two together and let them try fight the establishment.

Michaela's Gaspard Archambault is another character, Nolan would want to win for his cause. Especially should he ever find out about him being Rozenn's son. But even without this knowledge, him being an ice elemental with second affinity stone and the fact that he grew up at the Council makes him an interesting asset for Nolan's cause. Who else could know more about what the Council does and its weaknesses than a man who spent his childhood there?

With Taed's Aiolos Logothetis Nolan has discussions about the limits of elemental power. Though, to be honest, Nolan doesn't see many limits there. They have clashed and will still clash in some points, especially as they are counter elements. However, they also have things they agree upon and through their discussions each of them might see some things clearer.

I have also spoken to Samm about Nolan and Memphis Gredel interacting. They, too, are counter elements and won't click personality wise. However, Memphis doesn't like to be limited and Nolan will surely try to convince him that the Council is limiting the elementals in too many ways.

Jared offered Volya Nikolov and Nolan will try to win him for his cause, seeing how he is working for a ministry and dealing with international matters there. This would be of interest to him because he wants to to get powerful and doesn't want to limit his power to one country.

Carys and Michael offered their characters Linnet Willowsong and Kyle Gibbes. Since they are a couple, Nolan might sooner or later find out about the two of them and seeing how they are already angsty because of the situation, he would try and manipulate them further into fearing the Council. Since Nolan helped Linnet in the past when she was stuggling at Hogwarts, she might be amenable to his ideas.

When he leaves the Council he will approach several young elementals / newer Council members and try to make them join him. I've spoken to Taylor (Kyllikki Kirkkomäki), Michaela (Karsten Dettweiler), Castor (Motya Zapashny), Ashton (Melusine Musel), and Katya (Phridae Summers) and they were all up for some kind of interaction with Nolan.
When Nolan was around last time I had also spoken to  Jenny (Zoé Deveaux) and she, too, was up for the plot.

Whether or not the listed young characters decide to actually follow him or not is entirely up to them and does not have to be planned beforehand. Nolan would naturally appreciate it if people sided with him. However, he won't back down if these young elementals do not share his views. On the contrary, I think he would be even more determined to leave the Council and pursue his own goals if most of the other elementals didn't want to join him. He'd consider them bainwashed and would fight even harder for the independence and acceptance of elementals in the (wizarding) world.

His profession also leads to plot possibilities. Being an architect, Nolan uses his elemental powers to build houses as well as to make them crash. He doesn't care much about hiding his abilities. Actually, he rather prefers to expose them.

In conclusion I want to say thanks to all drivers who were up for plots. Your willingness to offer your characters for this makes bringing Nolan back worthwhile. Furthermore, I would like to point out that I am happy to let Nolan be defeated. I know his goals are high set and thus his success in realising his goals does not only lie in his hands alone.

RP sample using the feature: As he left the Council in Inverness Nolan felt anger boiling up inside of him. Why were the structures figuratively set in stone? It was stupid and actually also pointless to try and hide information about powerful elemental spells from him. He would find a way to get these scrolls of parchment. If they didn't give them out voluntarily he'd use one of the inexperienced acolytes to reach his goal. That shouldn't be too hard, after all. There were quite a few acolytes at the Council that were not powerful enough to withstand him. Thinking about it some more, Nolan came to the conclusion that he might even be able to convince one of them to give him the desired documents without having to use magic. Not every acolyte knew which scrolls they were allowed to give out and which were secret. Maybe one of them would follow his orders without questioning them.

Anyway, Nolan was still livid. The Council was a sad example of how institutions could hinder people from developing their abilities and going their own ways. With the current Harbingers the elementals would never get the recognition they actually deserved. Nolan didn't want to accept that elementals should keep in the background. In fact, he thought that they were existing to live in the spotlight. They should rule the world, actually he should rule it. He believed himself to have the drive, the willpower, and the ability to dominate the entire world.

He had followed the ongoings in the wizarding world over the past couple of years and had been astounded that a fool like this Voldemort had been able to frighten people so much. He was just a pathetic wand waver and thus nobody of any consequence. Nolan had been thinking of getting involved but then again he didn't care enough about the wand wavers to mind their business. However, now that Voldemort didn't hold the wizarding world in breath anymore, Nolan felt that his time was coming.

While these thoughts had crossed his mind, Nolan had walked down a street and hadn't paid attention to his surroundings. Now, however, he felt that somebody was observing him and, as he turned to the side, he saw a woman in the window of a cottage looking at him. He supposed that strangers rarely walked down this street and that she was curious to see what he was doing. Being in an angry mood anyway, Nolan was unwilling to let the woman get away with observing him. His eyes narrowed as he glared at her. Did he see a wand in her hand or was he imagining things? Well, it didn't really matter.

He looked around, checking if anybody else was watching him. While it was of little importance to him if there were witnesses, he still preferred to know what was going on. Once he came to the conclusion that only this woman had noticed his presence, he looked at the cottage again. In a sweet tone, combined with a merciless smile he spoke the incantation and a split second later the house in front of him collapsed. As the stone walls crumbled down and buried the woman under a pile of rocks, a sardonic laugh escaped him. It always felt great when he could use his control over his element and he couldn't really tell whether he preferred it when he could destroy or build things. Both were immensely satisfying. Yet, destroying stone buildings definitely served to release pent up anger.

Seeing the cottage in ruins, he turned around and continued on his way, feeling rather triumphant.

Name: Inga
Character name: Nolan Cairns
Feature you are applying for: Elemental ~ Zealot Demin

Description of the character: Nolan Cairns is a very power hungry person. He is 180 years old and has spent most of his life as a member of the Council. Although he has been more or less loyal to the Council for such a long time, Nolan wants to break out of the hierarchy in which he won't ever be able to be the leader He is constantly longing to become more powerful and to give elementals the recognition in the world which he thinks they deserve. Nolan has gained a vast knowledge on different matters in the course of his life and is particularly interested in politics. In his opinion elementals should rule the world as they can control the elements and have a longer life span than other people. This, according to him, gives them an advantage and the right to rule others. Having a high opinion of himself, he naturally sees himself as a born leader.

When Nolan wants something he'll do anything to get what he wants and doesn't hesitate when it comes to using (and abusing) his powers. In his opinion anything is permitted when he wants to reach his goals. He is a rather witty person who tries to use others for his purposes and when they don't do what he wants he might get livid. While he is a loud and bold person he has learned to control his temper over the years. He can be quite charming and cunning when the situation calls for it. After all, he doesn't like to do everything himself and might, therefore, try to make others do the dirty work for him while he stays in charge of the situation in general. He isn't beyond spreading rumours to unsettle the balance in the Council and to confuse new Council elementals.

According to him non-elemental wizards are just unworthy 'wand wavers' that are inferior and should be treated like that. Nolan is obsessed with power and with amassing wealth. He is also extremely greedy and doesn't usually share anything with anyone. Since there have been several situations in which he disagreed with the Council he doesn't show loyalty to anyone anymore. Seeing how the Council disappointed him in some ways as, for example, by supporting muggleborns with the Ward project, he is looking for new directions. The war in the wizarding world was something that instilled the wish in him to demonstrate his power in a fight as well. However, he regarded the battle of the 'wand wavers' as unworthy of his attention. 

Application:
Since Voldemort is gone and we don't have any big canon plot lines to follow anymore and this is our chance to start something original, to start independent plots for either the entire board or smaller groups of characters.

Seeing that there are more and more elementals around and in the works and bigger elemental plots have been discussed already before my time away (and while I was away), I would love to offer the elemental community a character that could bring some 'action'. I am more than willing to offer him for any board wide plots that might come up.

When Nolan was around last time he never got around to leaving the Council. However, he was always meant to cause some trouble in the wizarding world. I'd like to keep that up and, depending on how things develop, non-elementals could get involved as well as Nolan hates the 'wand wavers' and wants to subordinate them.

He is a 'bad guy' that can be taken seriously because he is an experienced elemental who masters his element well. He has no conscience when it comes to reaching his goals.

- He wants to become a very powerful wizard.
- He wants elementals to rule the wizarding world as he deems them much worthier than the non-elementals.
- He wants to amass more and more money.

All these goals are connected to him being a stone elemental.

I am sure that I can play this character well without abusing his powers / without godmoding. Despite all his power Nolan has his fair share of weaknesses and, while he is intelligent, he will not always make the best decisions. Besides I'm sure that the interaction with others will show him his limits. There are characters he will encounter (see future plots) that don't share his views and will become (or already are) his enemies.

I am happy to offer Nolan for more plots than the ones mentioned below which are basically plots with other elementals.
He will not only get into conflicts with them but he will also get in touch with non-elementals and have his fair share of conflicts and possible plots there. Leaving the big plots aside, Nolan is an interesting challenge for me as a roleplayer. He is pretty flexible in his choice of topics as he is not only out for trouble / looking for allies in the elemental scene but is open to flirting with witches (elementals or not) and working in the field of architecture and construction. When I played him last time, I really enjoyed how he was a totally different character than all those I've played before.

Future plots: I have spoken to several drivers and discussed possible plots. Seeing how many MHers are working on elementals, Nolan fits in rather well, especially since he is up for conflict in almost every possible way. I have several plans for what this character could do in the future. Not all ideas will be included in this app though. In fact, I am just listing future interactions with other elementals in this app.

Nolan disliked a couple of decisions the Council made and thinks that the Council is holding him back. He will, therefore, break with the Council  and thus also with the high ranked elementals there.
Carys offered a plot with Lario Sandoval. I'm quite sure Lario and Nolan will clash rather badly and might even end up fighting each other. 
I have also spoken to Julie and we already agreed last time when Nolan was played that he and Peter Alva Tannenbaum would become opponents.

Fee's Rozenn Seznec on the other hand is a character that shares Nolan's views of the elemental Council. However, that's not the only thing they have in common. They're both demin elementals and are also attracted to each other. This might make a powerful combination for the future. I'm eager to play these two together and let them try fight the establishment.

Michaela's Gaspard Archambault is another character, Nolan would want to win for his cause. Especially should he ever find out about him being Rozenn's son. But even without this knowledge, him being an ice elemental with second affinity stone and the fact that he grew up at the Council makes him an interesting asset for Nolan's cause. Who else could know more about what the Council does and its weaknesses than a man who spent his childhood there?

With Taed's Aiolos Logothetis Nolan has discussions about the limits of elemental power. Though, to be honest, Nolan doesn't see many limits there. They have clashed and will still clash in some points, especially as they are counter elements. However, they also have things they agree upon and through their discussions each of them might see some things clearer.

I have also spoken to Samm about Nolan and Memphis Gredel interacting. They, too, are counter elements and won't click personality wise. However, Memphis doesn't like to be limited and Nolan will surely try to convince him that the Council is limiting the elementals in too many ways.

Jared offered Volya Nikolov and Nolan will try to win him for his cause, seeing how he is working for a ministry and dealing with international matters there. This would be of interest to him because he wants to to get powerful and doesn't want to limit his power to one country.

Carys and Michael offered their characters Linnet Willowsong and Kyle Gibbes. Since they are a couple, Nolan might sooner or later find out about the two of them and seeing how they are already angsty because of the situation, he would try and manipulate them further into fearing the Council. Since Nolan helped Linnet in the past when she was stuggling at Hogwarts, she might be amenable to his ideas.

When he leaves the Council he will approach several young elementals / newer Council members and try to make them join him. I've spoken to Taylor (Kyllikki Kirkkomäki), Michaela (Karsten Dettweiler), Castor (Motya Zapashny), Ashton (Melusine Musel), and Katya (Phridae Summers) and they were all up for some kind of interaction with Nolan.
When Nolan was around last time I had also spoken to  Jenny (Zoé Deveaux) and she, too, was up for the plot.

Whether or not the listed young characters decide to actually follow him or not is entirely up to them and does not have to be planned beforehand. Nolan would naturally appreciate it if people sided with him. However, he won't back down if these young elementals do not share his views. On the contrary, I think he would be even more determined to leave the Council and pursue his own goals if most of the other elementals didn't want to join him. He'd consider them bainwashed and would fight even harder for the independence and acceptance of elementals in the (wizarding) world.

His profession also leads to plot possibilities. Being an architect, Nolan uses his elemental powers to build houses as well as to make them crash. He doesn't care much about hiding his abilities. Actually, he rather prefers to expose them.

In conclusion I want to say thanks to all drivers who were up for plots. Your willingness to offer your characters for this makes bringing Nolan back worthwhile. Furthermore, I would like to point out that I am happy to let Nolan be defeated. I know his goals are high set and thus his success in realising his goals does not only lie in his hands alone.

RP sample using the feature: As he left the Council in Inverness Nolan felt anger boiling up inside of him. Why were the structures figuratively set in stone? It was stupid and actually also pointless to try and hide information about powerful elemental spells from him. He would find a way to get these scrolls of parchment. If they didn't give them out voluntarily he'd use one of the inexperienced acolytes to reach his goal. That shouldn't be too hard, after all. There were quite a few acolytes at the Council that were not powerful enough to withstand him. Thinking about it some more, Nolan came to the conclusion that he might even be able to convince one of them to give him the desired documents without having to use magic. Not every acolyte knew which scrolls they were allowed to give out and which were secret. Maybe one of them would follow his orders without questioning them.

Anyway, Nolan was still livid. The Council was a sad example of how institutions could hinder people from developing their abilities and going their own ways. With the current Harbingers the elementals would never get the recognition they actually deserved. Nolan didn't want to accept that elementals should keep in the background. In fact, he thought that they were existing to live in the spotlight. They should rule the world, actually he should rule it. He believed himself to have the drive, the willpower, and the ability to dominate the entire world.

He had followed the ongoings in the wizarding world over the past couple of years and had been astounded that a fool like this Voldemort had been able to frighten people so much. He was just a pathetic wand waver and thus nobody of any consequence. Nolan had been thinking of getting involved but then again he didn't care enough about the wand wavers to mind their business. However, now that Voldemort didn't hold the wizarding world in breath anymore, Nolan felt that his time was coming.

While these thoughts had crossed his mind, Nolan had walked down a street and hadn't paid attention to his surroundings. Now, however, he felt that somebody was observing him and, as he turned to the side, he saw a woman in the window of a cottage looking at him. He supposed that strangers rarely walked down this street and that she was curious to see what he was doing. Being in an angry mood anyway, Nolan was unwilling to let the woman get away with observing him. His eyes narrowed as he glared at her. Did he see a wand in her hand or was he imagining things? Well, it didn't really matter.

He looked around, checking if anybody else was watching him. While it was of little importance to him if there were witnesses, he still preferred to know what was going on. Once he came to the conclusion that only this woman had noticed his presence, he looked at the cottage again. In a sweet tone, combined with a merciless smile he spoke the incantation and a split second later the house in front of him collapsed. As the stone walls crumbled down and buried the woman under a pile of rocks, a sardonic laugh escaped him. It always felt great when he could use his control over his element and he couldn't really tell whether he preferred it when he could destroy or build things. Both were immensely satisfying. Yet, destroying stone buildings definitely served to release pent up anger.

Seeing the cottage in ruins, he turned around and continued on his way, feeling rather triumphant.

Approved!

Name: Georgia
Character name: Emmett Markham

Feature you are applying for: Animagus
     Form: European / Eurasian Otter
     Distinctive markings: A long, fairly prominent, white line running the length of his back, that is the same colour as the underside of his chin.

Application: As a young child reading the books, being an Animagus was, to me, an ideal thing to use your magic for. Imagine, being able to turn into an animal! You could talk to other animals! I, personally, thought that all wizards and witches should be able to do it.

But now I see that there is a lot more to the special feature of an Animagus. It requires years or arduous and tiring effort, lots of practice and dedication. But I feel as though this is what Emmett would be willing to do to prove his transfiguration skill to himself, his family and friends, as well as out them to the test. He is a very studious man, and as a Hogwarts student he did nothing but work. As an expert in transfiguration, I feel as though he would have the skills to do this.

I have thought long and hard about what Emmett's Animagus form would take, and eventually decided on a European (otherwise known as the Eurasian) otter. European otters are very solitary animals, marking their territories (which can be up to 40km, but is usually around 18) with droppings. They are playful animals and appear to engage in various behaviors for sheer enjoyment, such as making waterslides and then sliding on them into the water. Emmett himself loves to have fun, but at the same time he is also solitary (very much so since the death of his father).

Otters are only reliant on their mothers for roughly 13 months, and are never reliant on their fathers. Given the fact that otters live for roughly 10 years, in comparison to a human life span this is the equivalent of a child being reliant on their parents for the first ten years of their life, which isn't very long. Emmett doesn't tend to rely on people very often, and believes that if you want something done you have to do it yourself.

Future plots:
     DJ Conway: Emmett has agreed to coach DJ in his Animagus training, and I feel that if Emmett himself was an Animagus, it would make it a lot easier. If he was asked to coach others in their animagus training, he would be able to use this feature then as well.
     A getaway: As an evil driver, I have a lot of bad things in store for Emmett (such as him possibly discovering that his father was fighting for the Dark Side when he died at the Battle of Hogwarts). He will use his Animagus skills to get an escape from the world, and immerse himself fully in the life of an otter. It will enable him to have some thinking time and time away from the struggles that he is facing.
     Teaching: As a transfiguration professor, it will be Emmett's job to teach the second years about Animagi. I feel that if he himself is an animagus, then it would make teaching this much easier.

RP sample using the feature:
Hidden away in his office, with the heavy door shut tight, Proffesor Emmett Markham stood in the centre of the room and began his transformation.

He stared down at his hands, and as he watched fur sprouted from his skin, as they decreased in size dramatically. He watched as she floor got closer, his clothes disappeared to be replaced with fur, and his feet became webbed. He squirmed at the uncomfortable sensation of his organs and bones rearranging themselves until finally, the transformation had completed.

He would never get used to the thrill of his slick brown fur appearing on his hands, or the sensation of his body reforming itself into something new. No matter how many times he completed this transformation it would always be something special.

Looking around his office, Emmett gazed up at his chair which now loomed above him, when only a few minutes ago he was sitting on it with his feet touching the floor. He scampered across the polished floor to where he'd built a tower of steps out of books, and climbed up them in an oddly human fashion - it definitely not a natural movement for otters. Nimbly leaping across the gap, he landed lightly on his desk and sat in wait of his student. This was his first time that he was to teach another person to become an animagus - and he was dreading it.

Edited because I found a typo

Name: Georgia
Character name: Emmett Markham

Feature you are applying for: Animagus
     Form: European / Eurasian Otter
     Distinctive markings: A long, fairly prominent, white line running the length of his back, that is the same colour as the underside of his chin.

Application: As a young child reading the books, being an Animagus was, to me, an ideal thing to use your magic for. Imagine, being able to turn into an animal! You could talk to other animals! I, personally, thought that all wizards and witches should be able to do it.

But now I see that there is a lot more to the special feature of an Animagus. It requires years or arduous and tiring effort, lots of practice and dedication. But I feel as though this is what Emmett would be willing to do to prove his transfiguration skill to himself, his family and friends, as well as out them to the test. He is a very studious man, and as a Hogwarts student he did nothing but work. As an expert in transfiguration, I feel as though he would have the skills to do this.

I have thought long and hard about what Emmett's Animagus form would take, and eventually decided on a European (otherwise known as the Eurasian) otter. European otters are very solitary animals, marking their territories (which can be up to 40km, but is usually around 18) with droppings. They are playful animals and appear to engage in various behaviors for sheer enjoyment, such as making waterslides and then sliding on them into the water. Emmett himself loves to have fun, but at the same time he is also solitary (very much so since the death of his father).

Otters are only reliant on their mothers for roughly 13 months, and are never reliant on their fathers. Given the fact that otters live for roughly 10 years, in comparison to a human life span this is the equivalent of a child being reliant on their parents for the first ten years of their life, which isn't very long. Emmett doesn't tend to rely on people very often, and believes that if you want something done you have to do it yourself.

Future plots:
     DJ Conway: Emmett has agreed to coach DJ in his Animagus training, and I feel that if Emmett himself was an Animagus, it would make it a lot easier. If he was asked to coach others in their animagus training, he would be able to use this feature then as well.
     A getaway: As an evil driver, I have a lot of bad things in store for Emmett (such as him possibly discovering that his father was fighting for the Dark Side when he died at the Battle of Hogwarts). He will use his Animagus skills to get an escape from the world, and immerse himself fully in the life of an otter. It will enable him to have some thinking time and time away from the struggles that he is facing.
     Teaching: As a transfiguration professor, it will be Emmett's job to teach the second years about Animagi. I feel that if he himself is an animagus, then it would make teaching this much easier.

RP sample using the feature:
Hidden away in his office, with the heavy door shut tight, Proffesor Emmett Markham stood in the centre of the room and began his transformation.

He stared down at his hands, and as he watched fur sprouted from his skin, as they decreased in size dramatically. He watched as she floor got closer, his clothes disappeared to be replaced with fur, and his feet became webbed. He squirmed at the uncomfortable sensation of his organs and bones rearranging themselves until finally, the transformation had completed.

He would never get used to the thrill of his slick brown fur appearing on his hands, or the sensation of his body reforming itself into something new. No matter how many times he completed this transformation it would always be something special.

Looking around his office, Emmett gazed up at his chair which now loomed above him, when only a few minutes ago he was sitting on it with his feet touching the floor. He scampered across the polished floor to where he'd built a tower of steps out of books, and climbed up them in an oddly human fashion - it definitely not a natural movement for otters. Nimbly leaping across the gap, he landed lightly on his desk and sat in wait of his student. This was his first time that he was to teach another person to become an animagus - and he was dreading it.

Edited because I found a typo

[tay]Approved~[/tay]

Name: Meridian
Character name: Alioth Rasalas 
Feature you are applying for: Hypnotism

History
Lio's muggle mother and father wanted little to do with him so he was left with one of the neighborhood grandmothers and were never heard from again. He was always a wild child and eventually the grandmother had to kick him out of the house because he was too much for even her to handle. After that he grew up as a street rat living in a gang of boys who would do whatever they wanted to stay alive, including stealing, pick pocketing, and starting fights with other people. Eventually, the politics within the gang caused him to leave and he was out on his own.

Not long later, he discovered that he was different than the other boys. He had skills he couldn't explain and could do things no one else could. But Lio was a muggleborn, so Durmstrang didn't even bother with him. He had no guidance and no idea what was wrong with him. At the age of 8, he lifted a bracelet off a Lyuli woman named Symza. Symza's husband, a massive, ginger bearded, waxed-mustached man named Buford Beaumonde, was going to turn Lio into the police, so Lio used magic to escape. He didn't get far, but when Buford and Symza caught up with him, instead of turning him in they offered to take him in.

Buford and Symza were members of the Eldrich Troupe, a magical travelling circus. They were surprised to find he knew nothing of the magical world and offered him place in the circus. The two adopted him in everything but name. He had gone by Alioth his whole life, but chose Rasalas as his last name from a chart of constellations. Before long he was a part of the circus. At first he just delivered messages and ran errands, but he already had quick fingers and excelled at sleight of hand combined with his ever-growing magical powers which meant he fit in just fine. His mother, who was a very skilled hypnotist herself, saw the potential in him and started teaching him the ways of mesmerizing when he was seven.

Fourteen years later, now a master of his own destiny and quite skilled at hypnotism and magic, Lio split off from the circus. He used his new freedom to see and explore the world, sometimes with the troupe, sometimes leaving them for months on end and returning. He had many adventures and got into quite a bit of trouble, but always managed to get himself out of it. When Lio turned 35, he inherited the circus from Buford, who in the last ten years had become the ringmaster. At first he was skeptical of such a commitment, but has since grown to love it, since he still has his freedom and can go wherever he wants.

Personality
Alioth is not a very complicated man. The one thing he values above all else and would sacrifice anything for is his freedom. No matter how kind or caring he may seem, he is always looking out for himself and is loyal to no one's needs but his own. He abhors commitment, as the moment someone tries to cage him in, he will run even faster. He has always lived his life keeping away from ties and commitments that could slow him down. He has had a slew of marriages, the shortest one three hours, and the longest one twenty-one months, which was with a fellow performer.

While he is ruthless in his need for freedom, it doesn't mean that he is cruel or uncaring, but more that he has his priorities straight. He has committed a large number of crimes in his life and continues to do so with a very clean conscience. That is just who he is and what he does. He is a con man at heart and his silver tongue can get him out of almost anything. To most people, he is a carefree buffoon who can't commit to anything and doesn't take anything seriously. But in reality, Lio is dangerously cunning and clever, often able to get what he wants with or without his powers.

On a regular basis, Lio is roguish, flirty, and mischievous. He is dramatic and theatrical, always looking for something fun or exciting to do. He likes to stir up trouble and push people's buttons just to entertain himself. He hates to be bored and will get himself into a lot of trouble just trying to stir things up. 

Alioth learned hypnotism from his adopted mother, Symza Beaumonde. She was a Lyuli woman who had run away from her family and joined the circus to escape her abusive grandmother. She was naturally gifted in hypnotism and used that to get what she wanted. By the time Lio met her, she had already mastered the skill and was using it behind the scenes as the Eldrich Troupe's secret weapon to get them out of trouble and to get herself a nice collection of shiny things. She raised Lio from the age of seven to the time he was twenty and she taught him how she had survived for so long on her own.

Hypnotists are usually gentle and kind people, very emphatic people who feel with others. They are socially skilled, understanding other people and how they think.

While Lio wouldn’t qualify as a gentle or kind person, he is certainly socially skilled. He is very perceptive, always making note of how people react to different stimulus and situations, usually so he can use it later on if he needs to. He believes that understanding people’s feelings helps him understand how they see and process their everyday interactions, which helps him when it comes time to hypnotize them. By knowing how they see the world, he can alter how they think the world looks, which makes them so much more pliable.

Usually, they will also be interested in Divination and Herbology, and have a musical talent that is quite extraordinary.

Being a muggleborn in the Durmstrang area, Lio never went to school to learn magic. In fact, for a long time after his first sign of magic he thought he was just a freak. He never received a proper magical training so the only Divination he ever studied was from Symza, who didn’t have the Sight but was skilled nonetheless. He has never bothered with plants so he doesn’t really know much about them, except for the ones he has almost been poisoned by. The last part fits his personality perfectly, as he is a very musical man. In general he is very dramatic and seems like he belongs in a theater. He has a tendency to sing whenever the mood strikes and he plays a number of instruments. He has a very nice, mellow voice that has a way of worming inside a person’s head if they aren’t careful. He is very skilled at using his music to hypnotize people, using it to relax them into a state where they are very susceptible to suggestion. The music and his voice itself are powerful tools that strengthen his grip on someone’s mind so he can nudge them gently in the “right” direction.

Hypnotists usually are white or grey wizards. It is unlikely to find a darkly aligned hypnotist but it has happened on very rare occasions. In general it is said that hypnotists are in touch with a higher kind of magic (from their perspective), which normal wizards love to call humbug. However most of them are sort of spiritual people, strongly believing into one thing or another where they usually draw their power from.

Lio is certainly a man who walks the line between light and dark, but can’t be bothered enough to pick a side so he likes to stand staunchly in the middle. (“This way no one will have those pesky expectations of me. This way, do or do not, no one gets disappointed.”) He isn’t evil per se, but he isn’t weighed down by things like right and wrong. All he cares about it doing what he has to do in order to live his life. If there was a higher order he believed it, it would be freedom. He doesn’t follow it like a religion, but believes that freedom is the key to finding one’s true self and leading a fulfilling life. Almost every crime he has committed (and there are many) were committed in the pursuit of freedom. He tries hard to get other people to embrace freedom and do what they want to do, believing that once people find their true selves, they will be so much happier and powerful. Belief is a strong thing and no one could ever convince Lio that his love of freedom will ever lead him down the wrong path.

This desire for freedom drives his very being, as it is the only thing he truly believes in. To him, love and friendship are all well and good, but nothing will ever compare to the way one feels when they are out in the open sky, with nowhere they have to be and nothing they have to do. Despite the circus being an occupation where he has duties to fulfill, it is a vehicle for freedom. Especially as the leader, he gets to decide where he wants to go and likes the nomadic lifestyle where every day is a different adventure and every moment brings something new. Lio wants to be free to take his own journeys and will stop at nothing to make sure they can.

Hypnotic spells hardly ever fail, but hypnotists usually do not cast them often. They hardly ever see more than one or two people a day to help them and only cast a handful of spells. Most hypnotic spells bring enormous physical fatigue with them. Repeated casting of the same spell makes them very tired very quickly.

Lio doesn’t use his powers very often. In his 20s and 30s he was a bit more prone to using them, but only because at that time he was a bit more prone to getting into trouble he needed to get out of. He was a vagrant for nearly two decades, traveling on his own and with the circus when the mood struck. He was a pickpocket, a con man, and a no good thief, merely doing whatever he wanted without a care in the world for other people. He lived in his own little world and couldn’t be bothered if he inconvenienced other people. As a result, he made a lot of enemies and got in a lot of trouble. He used his powers to get in and out of those sticky situations and certainly abused it.  Now that he is older and less prone to trouble he usually only pulls his powers out to protect his troupe and do what is necessary to keep them all safe. Unfortunately, his definition of “safe” and “necessary” are very elastic. He isn’t above hypnotizing law enforcement and large groups of people in order to keep anyone sniffing on their trail far away (or maybe get a few extra supplies). His powers are the only reason he has lasted this long. They make him well-suited to protecting the identities of his troupe members and keeping them all safe.

SPECIFIC PLOTS
        HanHan’s Mimi Elashiry  (WIP/sf pending) ~
Lio eventually finds a student in Mimi, who like him is a free spirit. She ran away from her rich parents to join the circus because she did not want to grow up as a pureblooded homemaker in an arranged marriage. She is a very sweet girl, though she is naïve. Eventually, Lio would teach her hypnotism as a way to protect herself from people who might want to take advantage of her, much like his mother taught him. But Mimi isn’t a hardened orphan like he was. She would use her powers for the opposite reason that Lio does; she would use it to help people. Despite being a somewhat spoiled girl, she thinks a lot about other people over herself and would use her powers to benefit others more than help herself. This difference would really help both characters figure out who they are and their motives, since they use the same powers for such different reasons.
        Totoro’s Aurora Zimmerman (WIP/sf pending) ~
Aurora is an illusionist who used to be part of a muggle circus, using her magical powers to entertain muggles and get by. Eventually she gets on the Ministry’s radar and they chase her down for violating the Statute of Secrecy. She ends up a little cornered, and like some big hero, Lio manages to swoop in and offer her a position in his wizarding circus. She wouldn’t be breaking any laws and would be offered a stable job. Aurora sort of has no better choices and joins the circus. Both Lio and Aurora’s special powers deal in half-truths. Aurora’s powers deal with vision since she can change what people see. Lio’s powers deal more closely with perception, since hypnotism usually changes what people think they see. Since the two of them change the way people see and believe things, the two of them put together would be a very powerful tool in making people see things that aren’t there.
        Mickie’s Effie Plantagnet (WIP/sf pending) ~
Effie has a power she doesn’t really want. She has magus, meaning she can see other people’s magic and smell danger when it comes around the corner. She was raised with this compulsion to right any wrongs that she sees happening in front of her and never ignore crimes if she knows they are happening. As a result, she has something of a hero-complex and jumps into frays she has no business being in. She doesn’t really like this part of her and just wants to live a normal, calm life as a delicate, feminine lady, but can’t because she keeps punching people in the face. When she meets Lio, she’ll know almost immediately that he has a special power and once he has spoken with her a little bit, he’ll realize her dilemma and offer to help. She would ask to be hypnotized so that she no longer sees the things she doesn’t want to see and he would do it. The hypnotism will not hold for very long, but it would prompt Effie to reconsider whether or not she actually wants to get rid of her magus.
        Potato Lady’s Parthenia Stremmenos ~
Parthenia has the Sight, though she can’t always control when she has them. As something of a nomadic, free spirit, Parthenia joins the circus for a while as a fortune teller. Eventually, she would ask Lio to hypnotize her and see if he can induce visions for her. He wouldn’t be able to directly cause a vision to happen, but with his powers he would be able to drop her into a trace that dampens her somatic brain function to the point that her mind would be better able to become an empty vessel for the vision to break through. It wouldn’t happen all the time, but he would be able to bring her to the point that visions are more likely to occur, though it would be extremely tiring for both of them to hold that state.

GENERAL PLOTS
        Eldrich Troupe ~
There are a number of other characters slated to join the circus, some of whom may lose muse and fade away, and others who may join if inspiration strikes. Many of the performers are wanted by the government for one reason or another and Lio allows them to stay in his circus. He isn’t naïve though, and keeps a close eye on new arrivals. There is a hefty price on the heads of those in his circus and he knows the lure of money is sometimes too hard to ignore. He will use his hypnotism to weed out traitors and find the truths people may not want found. He isn’t looking for dirt, but he is a very cautious man, which one has to be been surrounded by people who aren’t prone to truth telling.
        Old Enemies ~
While Lio was running around being a wild man in his 20s and 30s, he made a lot of enemies. He moved in the circle of thieves, con men, pick pockets, and the occasional murderers. He is prone to switching sides on the fly and therefore doesn’t keep friends for very long. The only reason someone like that could survive so long is if he had some special powers to sway them in his favor. He has hypnotized a lot of people to get out of the trouble he always finds himself in, but that doesn’t often hold for long. For a man with so many enemies and old “friends”, he is bound to run into someone he has screwed over at some point. In this case, he would most likely have to pull out his powers once again in order to escape.
        Law Enforcement ~
Aside from the fact that Lio himself was a criminal for about two decades, he happens to own a circus full of runaways, misfits, and criminals on the lam. They are constantly interacting with local law enforcement and if they get too close to their secrets, Lio will usually offer to sing them a song to distract them. Of course, by the end of the song, they would be as malleable as soft taffy and he could spin them in any direction he wanted. This is how Lio protects himself, his circus, and his troupe for the scrutiny of the law. This is one of the reason that the criminals and runaways are a lot safer within his circus than they are out on their own. Lio is a pretty powerful hypnotist and can offer protection they might not be able to find anywhere else.

Thick leather boots bounded airily across the cobblestones as a mess of brown hair and a peal of laughter flew through the streets. Alioth had to alternate between breathing and laughing as he darted through the busy market, leaping over moving carts and somersaulting right over small children carrying giants baskets of fruit. Behind him was a small mob of bearded men, all shouting his name mixed in with some very colorful obscenities. They were a good deal slower than Lio but there were a lot of them and the open marketplace was quite crowded. He had to rely on his quick feet and arm strength to get him around the numerous obstacles and people to keep his head start.

“Sorry gents, but I don’t have time to stop and chat with you!” he called back to the mob chasing him, throwing them a grin. “Can we reschedule for next month? Promised the missus I wouldn’t get skinned before our anniversary. She’d kill me!” He vaulted himself over a large stall of apples with ease, then slid through the wheels of a passing horse-drawn cart with half a hair’s length to spare. He kept running through the high-walled alley, constantly glancing back at the mob getting further and further away. He smiled to himself and kept padding along, congratulating himself on his athleticism.

The circus has landed in a forest clearing a few miles away from this humble town almost two weeks ago and had been enjoying it since. The people in this town were very welcoming and willing to do business with the circus, which was getting rarer and rarer, he found. Cindra had come back a few days ago with a very generous load of food and supplies from the market to restock their stores. Apparently she had barely needed to haggle because the townsfolk were all very fair and willing to barter with them. That was always a good sign and Lio found this small, quiet town exceptionally charming. Lio was considering coming back to here on their next cycle through France when the door of the tavern he had been sitting in burst open.

It turned out that someone had recognized one of Lio’s acrobats (a reformed assassin they had picked up in Hanoi), and with some extra digging they had discovered the identities of a few other performers. The combined price on the heads of his troupe was a hefty sum even split among this many people. It looked like these small-time bounty hunters wanted a piece of them. If Lio had thought he was in any real danger he would have just Apparated away, but he couldn’t just leave it all like that. There were too many loose ends running around (after him) in this city. These men were a threat to the troupe’s safety and who knew exactly how many people they had told about their little discovery.

He rounded another blind corner and nearly slipped on his back as he hastened to change directions. Another mob of men was coming at him from the front and he took a quick second to wonder where they had been hiding. He could hear the loud pounding footsteps of the first group of men behind him and he realized he was trapped. Lio ducked into a small side alley on his left, even though it ended in a dead end. He pulled out his wand and gave it a good flick, a smoky apparition identical to him breaking away and running down the alley toward the brick wall. The real Alioth jumped up a stack of rubbish cans leaning against the alley wall and used to propel himself onto a nearby window sill. With nimble, monkey-like movements he managed to climb up the side of the building and hang precariously from an out-hanging rain gutter, out of immediate sight.

Below him, the two groups of very angry men caught sight of his illusion and bottlenecked into the alley after it. A second later it vanished and the mob found themselves trapped in the alley behind an iridescent barrier. Lio felt the gutter creak under his weight as he rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a dark wooden pan flute with a string of tinkling beads hanging from it. He pressed it to his lips and blew. The first note rang out loud and clear, filling the alley with its sound. As Lio continued to play the next three notes something very strange occurred. The sound seemed to vibrate through the mob in waves, the rows of them slowly slumping in relaxation as their eyes begun to glaze over as they went into a blissful trance. Within seconds the death squad had been silenced as the music slipped quietly into their minds and soothed the angry beasts.

Then the melody picked up. Letting go of the gutter, Lio dropped to the ground in the center of the mob that was swaying to the hypnotic music emanating from his flute. He begun to play faster, dancing along to the quick-timed song. His nimble feet spun him around in circles as he floated through the glass-eyed crowd that parted for him. “Come on gents,” he called. “Don’t make me dance alone!” It was as if he had cracked a whip— suddenly the large group of men snapped awake and the thunderous sound of their feet tapping rhythmically on the alley ground joined in with Lio’s mesmerizing flute.

They were all jumping, spinning, and shimmying in unholy unison, like they were swearing their fealty to some crazy dancing demon lord. The dance would look upbeat and jolly to most outsiders, but to Lio, who had been done this a hundred times before, it all seemed very dark. He noticed the small things: how their limbs were all moving jerkily like empty puppets and how the sound of the pan flute echoed unnaturally in his ears. It was all very grotesque and violating what his music could do to such weak-minded people. But Lio never let his conscience stop him. He kept dancing through the crowd until he arrived at the mouth of the alley, the seductive score still rippling through he crowd as they danced faster and faster. With one last, triumphant breath he cast his magic-infused finale and disappeared with a stringent crack!

The moment his boots hit the grassy ground of the camp, Lio pressed his wand to his throat to amplify his calm voice so that it boomed through the whole clearing. “Boys and girls, this is Alioth. I don’t mean to alarm anyone, but I think we’ve overstayed our welcome here. Time to pack up and head out. We need to be in the air within the hour.” Lio took the wand away and begun walking to his caravan. He’d left the men back there confused and docile, but it would wear off in a few days and there was a good chance their memory would come rushing back. On top of that, was no telling how far the information had gotten. They’d burned this site and it was too risky to come back for a long time.

Name: Meridian
Character name: Alioth Rasalas 
Feature you are applying for: Hypnotism

History
Lio's muggle mother and father wanted little to do with him so he was left with one of the neighborhood grandmothers and were never heard from again. He was always a wild child and eventually the grandmother had to kick him out of the house because he was too much for even her to handle. After that he grew up as a street rat living in a gang of boys who would do whatever they wanted to stay alive, including stealing, pick pocketing, and starting fights with other people. Eventually, the politics within the gang caused him to leave and he was out on his own.

Not long later, he discovered that he was different than the other boys. He had skills he couldn't explain and could do things no one else could. But Lio was a muggleborn, so Durmstrang didn't even bother with him. He had no guidance and no idea what was wrong with him. At the age of 8, he lifted a bracelet off a Lyuli woman named Symza. Symza's husband, a massive, ginger bearded, waxed-mustached man named Buford Beaumonde, was going to turn Lio into the police, so Lio used magic to escape. He didn't get far, but when Buford and Symza caught up with him, instead of turning him in they offered to take him in.

Buford and Symza were members of the Eldrich Troupe, a magical travelling circus. They were surprised to find he knew nothing of the magical world and offered him place in the circus. The two adopted him in everything but name. He had gone by Alioth his whole life, but chose Rasalas as his last name from a chart of constellations. Before long he was a part of the circus. At first he just delivered messages and ran errands, but he already had quick fingers and excelled at sleight of hand combined with his ever-growing magical powers which meant he fit in just fine. His mother, who was a very skilled hypnotist herself, saw the potential in him and started teaching him the ways of mesmerizing when he was seven.

Fourteen years later, now a master of his own destiny and quite skilled at hypnotism and magic, Lio split off from the circus. He used his new freedom to see and explore the world, sometimes with the troupe, sometimes leaving them for months on end and returning. He had many adventures and got into quite a bit of trouble, but always managed to get himself out of it. When Lio turned 35, he inherited the circus from Buford, who in the last ten years had become the ringmaster. At first he was skeptical of such a commitment, but has since grown to love it, since he still has his freedom and can go wherever he wants.

Personality
Alioth is not a very complicated man. The one thing he values above all else and would sacrifice anything for is his freedom. No matter how kind or caring he may seem, he is always looking out for himself and is loyal to no one's needs but his own. He abhors commitment, as the moment someone tries to cage him in, he will run even faster. He has always lived his life keeping away from ties and commitments that could slow him down. He has had a slew of marriages, the shortest one three hours, and the longest one twenty-one months, which was with a fellow performer.

While he is ruthless in his need for freedom, it doesn't mean that he is cruel or uncaring, but more that he has his priorities straight. He has committed a large number of crimes in his life and continues to do so with a very clean conscience. That is just who he is and what he does. He is a con man at heart and his silver tongue can get him out of almost anything. To most people, he is a carefree buffoon who can't commit to anything and doesn't take anything seriously. But in reality, Lio is dangerously cunning and clever, often able to get what he wants with or without his powers.

On a regular basis, Lio is roguish, flirty, and mischievous. He is dramatic and theatrical, always looking for something fun or exciting to do. He likes to stir up trouble and push people's buttons just to entertain himself. He hates to be bored and will get himself into a lot of trouble just trying to stir things up. 

Alioth learned hypnotism from his adopted mother, Symza Beaumonde. She was a Lyuli woman who had run away from her family and joined the circus to escape her abusive grandmother. She was naturally gifted in hypnotism and used that to get what she wanted. By the time Lio met her, she had already mastered the skill and was using it behind the scenes as the Eldrich Troupe's secret weapon to get them out of trouble and to get herself a nice collection of shiny things. She raised Lio from the age of seven to the time he was twenty and she taught him how she had survived for so long on her own.

While Lio wouldn’t qualify as a gentle or kind person, he is certainly socially skilled. He is very perceptive, always making note of how people react to different stimulus and situations, usually so he can use it later on if he needs to. He believes that understanding people’s feelings helps him understand how they see and process their everyday interactions, which helps him when it comes time to hypnotize them. By knowing how they see the world, he can alter how they think the world looks, which makes them so much more pliable.

Being a muggleborn in the Durmstrang area, Lio never went to school to learn magic. In fact, for a long time after his first sign of magic he thought he was just a freak. He never received a proper magical training so the only Divination he ever studied was from Symza, who didn’t have the Sight but was skilled nonetheless. He has never bothered with plants so he doesn’t really know much about them, except for the ones he has almost been poisoned by. The last part fits his personality perfectly, as he is a very musical man. In general he is very dramatic and seems like he belongs in a theater. He has a tendency to sing whenever the mood strikes and he plays a number of instruments. He has a very nice, mellow voice that has a way of worming inside a person’s head if they aren’t careful. He is very skilled at using his music to hypnotize people, using it to relax them into a state where they are very susceptible to suggestion. The music and his voice itself are powerful tools that strengthen his grip on someone’s mind so he can nudge them gently in the “right” direction.

Lio is certainly a man who walks the line between light and dark, but can’t be bothered enough to pick a side so he likes to stand staunchly in the middle. (“This way no one will have those pesky expectations of me. This way, do or do not, no one gets disappointed.”) He isn’t evil per se, but he isn’t weighed down by things like right and wrong. All he cares about it doing what he has to do in order to live his life. If there was a higher order he believed it, it would be freedom. He doesn’t follow it like a religion, but believes that freedom is the key to finding one’s true self and leading a fulfilling life. Almost every crime he has committed (and there are many) were committed in the pursuit of freedom. He tries hard to get other people to embrace freedom and do what they want to do, believing that once people find their true selves, they will be so much happier and powerful. Belief is a strong thing and no one could ever convince Lio that his love of freedom will ever lead him down the wrong path.

This desire for freedom drives his very being, as it is the only thing he truly believes in. To him, love and friendship are all well and good, but nothing will ever compare to the way one feels when they are out in the open sky, with nowhere they have to be and nothing they have to do. Despite the circus being an occupation where he has duties to fulfill, it is a vehicle for freedom. Especially as the leader, he gets to decide where he wants to go and likes the nomadic lifestyle where every day is a different adventure and every moment brings something new. Lio wants to be free to take his own journeys and will stop at nothing to make sure they can.

Lio doesn’t use his powers very often. In his 20s and 30s he was a bit more prone to using them, but only because at that time he was a bit more prone to getting into trouble he needed to get out of. He was a vagrant for nearly two decades, traveling on his own and with the circus when the mood struck. He was a pickpocket, a con man, and a no good thief, merely doing whatever he wanted without a care in the world for other people. He lived in his own little world and couldn’t be bothered if he inconvenienced other people. As a result, he made a lot of enemies and got in a lot of trouble. He used his powers to get in and out of those sticky situations and certainly abused it.  Now that he is older and less prone to trouble he usually only pulls his powers out to protect his troupe and do what is necessary to keep them all safe. Unfortunately, his definition of “safe” and “necessary” are very elastic. He isn’t above hypnotizing law enforcement and large groups of people in order to keep anyone sniffing on their trail far away (or maybe get a few extra supplies). His powers are the only reason he has lasted this long. They make him well-suited to protecting the identities of his troupe members and keeping them all safe.

SPECIFIC PLOTS
        HanHan’s Mimi Elashiry  (WIP/sf pending) ~
Lio eventually finds a student in Mimi, who like him is a free spirit. She ran away from her rich parents to join the circus because she did not want to grow up as a pureblooded homemaker in an arranged marriage. She is a very sweet girl, though she is naïve. Eventually, Lio would teach her hypnotism as a way to protect herself from people who might want to take advantage of her, much like his mother taught him. But Mimi isn’t a hardened orphan like he was. She would use her powers for the opposite reason that Lio does; she would use it to help people. Despite being a somewhat spoiled girl, she thinks a lot about other people over herself and would use her powers to benefit others more than help herself. This difference would really help both characters figure out who they are and their motives, since they use the same powers for such different reasons.
        Totoro’s Aurora Zimmerman (WIP/sf pending) ~
Aurora is an illusionist who used to be part of a muggle circus, using her magical powers to entertain muggles and get by. Eventually she gets on the Ministry’s radar and they chase her down for violating the Statute of Secrecy. She ends up a little cornered, and like some big hero, Lio manages to swoop in and offer her a position in his wizarding circus. She wouldn’t be breaking any laws and would be offered a stable job. Aurora sort of has no better choices and joins the circus. Both Lio and Aurora’s special powers deal in half-truths. Aurora’s powers deal with vision since she can change what people see. Lio’s powers deal more closely with perception, since hypnotism usually changes what people think they see. Since the two of them change the way people see and believe things, the two of them put together would be a very powerful tool in making people see things that aren’t there.
        Mickie’s Effie Plantagnet (WIP/sf pending) ~
Effie has a power she doesn’t really want. She has magus, meaning she can see other people’s magic and smell danger when it comes around the corner. She was raised with this compulsion to right any wrongs that she sees happening in front of her and never ignore crimes if she knows they are happening. As a result, she has something of a hero-complex and jumps into frays she has no business being in. She doesn’t really like this part of her and just wants to live a normal, calm life as a delicate, feminine lady, but can’t because she keeps punching people in the face. When she meets Lio, she’ll know almost immediately that he has a special power and once he has spoken with her a little bit, he’ll realize her dilemma and offer to help. She would ask to be hypnotized so that she no longer sees the things she doesn’t want to see and he would do it. The hypnotism will not hold for very long, but it would prompt Effie to reconsider whether or not she actually wants to get rid of her magus.
        Potato Lady’s Parthenia Stremmenos ~
Parthenia has the Sight, though she can’t always control when she has them. As something of a nomadic, free spirit, Parthenia joins the circus for a while as a fortune teller. Eventually, she would ask Lio to hypnotize her and see if he can induce visions for her. He wouldn’t be able to directly cause a vision to happen, but with his powers he would be able to drop her into a trace that dampens her somatic brain function to the point that her mind would be better able to become an empty vessel for the vision to break through. It wouldn’t happen all the time, but he would be able to bring her to the point that visions are more likely to occur, though it would be extremely tiring for both of them to hold that state.

GENERAL PLOTS
        Eldrich Troupe ~
There are a number of other characters slated to join the circus, some of whom may lose muse and fade away, and others who may join if inspiration strikes. Many of the performers are wanted by the government for one reason or another and Lio allows them to stay in his circus. He isn’t naïve though, and keeps a close eye on new arrivals. There is a hefty price on the heads of those in his circus and he knows the lure of money is sometimes too hard to ignore. He will use his hypnotism to weed out traitors and find the truths people may not want found. He isn’t looking for dirt, but he is a very cautious man, which one has to be been surrounded by people who aren’t prone to truth telling.
        Old Enemies ~
While Lio was running around being a wild man in his 20s and 30s, he made a lot of enemies. He moved in the circle of thieves, con men, pick pockets, and the occasional murderers. He is prone to switching sides on the fly and therefore doesn’t keep friends for very long. The only reason someone like that could survive so long is if he had some special powers to sway them in his favor. He has hypnotized a lot of people to get out of the trouble he always finds himself in, but that doesn’t often hold for long. For a man with so many enemies and old “friends”, he is bound to run into someone he has screwed over at some point. In this case, he would most likely have to pull out his powers once again in order to escape.
        Law Enforcement ~
Aside from the fact that Lio himself was a criminal for about two decades, he happens to own a circus full of runaways, misfits, and criminals on the lam. They are constantly interacting with local law enforcement and if they get too close to their secrets, Lio will usually offer to sing them a song to distract them. Of course, by the end of the song, they would be as malleable as soft taffy and he could spin them in any direction he wanted. This is how Lio protects himself, his circus, and his troupe for the scrutiny of the law. This is one of the reason that the criminals and runaways are a lot safer within his circus than they are out on their own. Lio is a pretty powerful hypnotist and can offer protection they might not be able to find anywhere else.

Thick leather boots bounded airily across the cobblestones as a mess of brown hair and a peal of laughter flew through the streets. Alioth had to alternate between breathing and laughing as he darted through the busy market, leaping over moving carts and somersaulting right over small children carrying giants baskets of fruit. Behind him was a small mob of bearded men, all shouting his name mixed in with some very colorful obscenities. They were a good deal slower than Lio but there were a lot of them and the open marketplace was quite crowded. He had to rely on his quick feet and arm strength to get him around the numerous obstacles and people to keep his head start.

“Sorry gents, but I don’t have time to stop and chat with you!” he called back to the mob chasing him, throwing them a grin. “Can we reschedule for next month? Promised the missus I wouldn’t get skinned before our anniversary. She’d kill me!” He vaulted himself over a large stall of apples with ease, then slid through the wheels of a passing horse-drawn cart with half a hair’s length to spare. He kept running through the high-walled alley, constantly glancing back at the mob getting further and further away. He smiled to himself and kept padding along, congratulating himself on his athleticism.

The circus has landed in a forest clearing a few miles away from this humble town almost two weeks ago and had been enjoying it since. The people in this town were very welcoming and willing to do business with the circus, which was getting rarer and rarer, he found. Cindra had come back a few days ago with a very generous load of food and supplies from the market to restock their stores. Apparently she had barely needed to haggle because the townsfolk were all very fair and willing to barter with them. That was always a good sign and Lio found this small, quiet town exceptionally charming. Lio was considering coming back to here on their next cycle through France when the door of the tavern he had been sitting in burst open.

It turned out that someone had recognized one of Lio’s acrobats (a reformed assassin they had picked up in Hanoi), and with some extra digging they had discovered the identities of a few other performers. The combined price on the heads of his troupe was a hefty sum even split among this many people. It looked like these small-time bounty hunters wanted a piece of them. If Lio had thought he was in any real danger he would have just Apparated away, but he couldn’t just leave it all like that. There were too many loose ends running around (after him) in this city. These men were a threat to the troupe’s safety and who knew exactly how many people they had told about their little discovery.

He rounded another blind corner and nearly slipped on his back as he hastened to change directions. Another mob of men was coming at him from the front and he took a quick second to wonder where they had been hiding. He could hear the loud pounding footsteps of the first group of men behind him and he realized he was trapped. Lio ducked into a small side alley on his left, even though it ended in a dead end. He pulled out his wand and gave it a good flick, a smoky apparition identical to him breaking away and running down the alley toward the brick wall. The real Alioth jumped up a stack of rubbish cans leaning against the alley wall and used to propel himself onto a nearby window sill. With nimble, monkey-like movements he managed to climb up the side of the building and hang precariously from an out-hanging rain gutter, out of immediate sight.

Below him, the two groups of very angry men caught sight of his illusion and bottlenecked into the alley after it. A second later it vanished and the mob found themselves trapped in the alley behind an iridescent barrier. Lio felt the gutter creak under his weight as he rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a dark wooden pan flute with a string of tinkling beads hanging from it. He pressed it to his lips and blew. The first note rang out loud and clear, filling the alley with its sound. As Lio continued to play the next three notes something very strange occurred. The sound seemed to vibrate through the mob in waves, the rows of them slowly slumping in relaxation as their eyes begun to glaze over as they went into a blissful trance. Within seconds the death squad had been silenced as the music slipped quietly into their minds and soothed the angry beasts.

Then the melody picked up. Letting go of the gutter, Lio dropped to the ground in the center of the mob that was swaying to the hypnotic music emanating from his flute. He begun to play faster, dancing along to the quick-timed song. His nimble feet spun him around in circles as he floated through the glass-eyed crowd that parted for him. “Come on gents,” he called. “Don’t make me dance alone!” It was as if he had cracked a whip— suddenly the large group of men snapped awake and the thunderous sound of their feet tapping rhythmically on the alley ground joined in with Lio’s mesmerizing flute.

They were all jumping, spinning, and shimmying in unholy unison, like they were swearing their fealty to some crazy dancing demon lord. The dance would look upbeat and jolly to most outsiders, but to Lio, who had been done this a hundred times before, it all seemed very dark. He noticed the small things: how their limbs were all moving jerkily like empty puppets and how the sound of the pan flute echoed unnaturally in his ears. It was all very grotesque and violating what his music could do to such weak-minded people. But Lio never let his conscience stop him. He kept dancing through the crowd until he arrived at the mouth of the alley, the seductive score still rippling through he crowd as they danced faster and faster. With one last, triumphant breath he cast his magic-infused finale and disappeared with a stringent crack!

The moment his boots hit the grassy ground of the camp, Lio pressed his wand to his throat to amplify his calm voice so that it boomed through the whole clearing. “Boys and girls, this is Alioth. I don’t mean to alarm anyone, but I think we’ve overstayed our welcome here. Time to pack up and head out. We need to be in the air within the hour.” Lio took the wand away and begun walking to his caravan. He’d left the men back there confused and docile, but it would wear off in a few days and there was a good chance their memory would come rushing back. On top of that, was no telling how far the information had gotten. They’d burned this site and it was too risky to come back for a long time.

[rinn]Approved!~