Three characters have connections to Beauxbatons so it might be nice sooner or later. I just thought I ought to drop the canon-bomb in case anybody was thinking we could just drop in on our way further East (we can't - it's Southwest). I can't speak for Veronica or Lydia (the other Beauxbatons-relevant characters) but I think I'll start Johann off at his sister's anyway, so I don't actually mind that much. I wonder about the notion of 'evil' characters and whether perhaps we could avoid generic villains because muahahahaI'mSoEvilMyFaceEvenLooksLikeASnake and instead go for more realistic situations. For example, Germany won't be Britain under Death Eater rule - it's just quite right wing in a way centrists may find uncomfortable. If we go there, there's not going to be ancient demons or serial killers that're the antagonists - it'll be authority figures being overbearing and overly defensive, as they tend to in such countries. It's believable, and I think there'd be greater drama for that. We don't need to be super-believable all the time, but I'd rather err on the side of realism. Apart from anything else, the most compelling conflicts are usually (melo)dramatic rather than action-based, and we have plenty of space for arguing and fighting and whatnot within the group. That said, if anybody does have a bright idea with a bit of solid plot for an arc, I'm more than happy to support them because frankly I haven't got one. Ehehehehe... Johann plus Veela is going to be rather worrying, just so you know. I suggest running quite far away. I imagine Michael would be frankly laughable. That said, aren't Veela Eastern European rather than Western? They're mascots for Bulgaria, and I'm pretty sure Veela are actually already characters in Slavic mythology suggestion Eastern origins. A tomboy [hider=Alexandra Bellowes][B]Name:[/b] Alexandra “Leck” Bellowes [B]Gender:[/b] Female [B]Date of Birth:[/b] 17th December 1993 [B]Blood Status:[/b] Pure Blood [B]House:[/b] Slytherin [img]http://www.hollywoodheadshot.com/images/BETSY-W-02.jpg[/img] Alexandra is something of a tomboy. Despite the rather curvy curves nature gave her, nurture has not given her any inclinations to be particularly feminine. She wears little to no makeup (and certainly will not be wearing any on the pilgrimage) and does not try to top up her unimpressive five feet of height with heels. What she does believe in, to some degree, is being presentable, and so she will make sure she is clean and nicely turned-out even if not overtly feminine. [b]Personality:[/b] Leck goes almost out of her way to not be what her parents want her to be. The product of an old Slytherin family she rails violently against their interest in academia, wealth, status and, yes, blood-purity, she can't think of anything worse than being somebody's wife and baby-maker in a nice, neat little mansion somewhere. She is relaxed, chilled-out, and truthful, even when the truth hurts. Nothing sounds better to her than to be around a few friends and having a bit of a drink. She's inherently a little bit masculine, and often doesn't have time for what she considers to be female duplicity or superficiality, though woe betide any man that should bemoan the same traits. Leck carries a bit of a temper around with her, and her outbursts, though few and far between, have been absolutely legendary. As a result, her compassionate nature and general laid-back attitude tend to take people by surprise. She does take a little getting used to, and can be quite intense. Her unflinching, slightly brazen exterior is mostly for show, as a means of off-setting her family background and the general societal expectations of purebloods, the wealthy, and women. It's not unheard of for her to make inappropriate jokes with people she doesn't know, or generally been a little overbearing. The fact that she is a firm believer in cutting the crap can also make uninformed small-talk almost entirely impossible. Though she dropped most practical (and dangerously so) subjects as soon as she could, her bravado would occasionally have her throw herself into situations to show her carefree nature, only to find herself ill-equipped to deal with them, and need, to her supreme annoyance, to be [i]helped[/i]. [B]Strengths:[/B] [list][*] Truthful[/*][*] Witty[/*][*] Lively[/*][*] Free-spirited[/*][*] Compassionate[/*][/list] [B]Weaknesses[/B] [list][*] Impatient[/*][*] Contrarian[/*][*] Hot-headed[/*][*] Critical[/*][/list] [B]Goals[/B] [list][*] Get out of a fiercely wizarding community[/*][*] Be a crazy cat lady[/*][*] Do as little as possible[/*][/list] [B]Hobbies[/B] [list][*] Any muggle media/hobby[/*][*] Beer[/*][/list] The Bellowes are a new wizarding family, whose name was changed about a decade and half ago for reasons they say they don't remember. They were previously well-respected in the wizarding community, but were perhaps too sympathetic to the wrong circles at the wrong time, and now, even if their wealth is intact, they have cut themselves off from those less savoury faces on their family tree and decided to start afresh. It's the one thing Leck isn't honest about and she has intentionally not pried into the Bellowes' history too much. She has suspicions that the men in the family, including her father, have done things she would not be able to forgive them for, and she puts in a lot of effort to suspend her disbelief; she isn't sure that the imperius curse her father was found at his trial to have been under was real. Counter-intuitively, she does enjoy her family's company, even if they are politically poles-apart, and so they have a don't-ask-don't-tell policy that goes both ways; she leaves their family history alone; and they, in turn, give her space to be a [s]bloodtraiter[/s] rebellious teen. With that in mind, she goes out of her way to do bloodtraitery things, avoiding academic excellence and wizarding conventions at all costs. [B]Patronus:[/B] A hummingbird [B]Worst fear:[/B] A dark relapse on behalf of the Bellowes family. [B]Boggart:[/B] Her father as a death eater [B]Amortentia:[/B] Pear drops, paraffin, chilli [B]House-elf:[/B] The Bellowes kept trying to keep house elves, but she kept freeing them and they've given in and won't get any more. [b]Credentials:[/b] [list][*]Defence Against the Dark Arts (2)[/*][*]Muggle Studies (2)[/*][*]Divination (2)[/*][*]History of Magic (2)[/*][*]Herbology (1)[/*][*]Potions (1)[/*][*]Charms (1)[/*][*]Transfiguration (1)[/*][*]Care of Magical Creatures (1)[/*][*]Astronomy (1)[/*][*]Dueling (1)[/*][/list] [b]Wand:[/b] [indent][B]Length:[/B] 10” [B]Wood:[/B] Maple [B]Core:[/B] [url=http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Augurey]Augurey Tail Feather[/url] [B]Flexibility:[/b] Swishy Augurey feathers are not powerful cores, but they are malleable, and the wand in question can easily be persuaded and forced to do its wielder's bidding in any subject. It will resist if it picks up on any hesitation or lack of conviction.[/indent] [b]Inventory:[/b] [list][*] Camping kit (mostly muggle-friendly)[/*][*] Muggle literature[/*][*] Broomstick[/*][/list][/hider] I can't stand Ravenclaw so she's staying a Slytherer if you still want her. I thought she could perhaps have had a bit of a thing with Grant for a short while before they both realised it was a ridiculous relationship they weren't actually very interested in, and they just agreed to be good mates. Perhaps it's a bit of a running joke for them that everybody expects them to have relationship trouble when they really really really aren't.