Post by evie on Aug 14, 2011 19:30:26 GMT -5
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{ A B O U T . Y O U }
Name: Najooj
Preferred Pronouns: female
Age: nineteen (I KEEP WRITING EIGHTEEN MY CREYS)
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Twitter: you also has
Years of RPG Experience: lots
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{ Q U I C K . Q U I Z }
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{ A B O U T . T H E . C H A R A C T E R }
Name: Evelyn Grace Townsend
Age: 17
Gender: Female
Year: Seventh
Face Claim: Troian Bellisario
Canon or Original? Original
Facial Properties:
Evelyn has never thought there was anything remarkable about her features. She has brown hair and brown eyes; absolutely nothing special there. She's always been a little disappointed she didn't inherit her father's blue eyes, but everyone knows the gene for brown eyes is dominant over blue, and since her mother has brown eyes, it was always likely that Evelyn would turn out with brown eyes, too. Still, they do have fairly attractive features; they are wider than the average-sized eyes, and framed with naturally thick, dark eyelashes, which she's grateful for since last time she tried to apply eye-make up, she almost took out an eye and what good would she be blind? Her vision is already impaired enough, since she needs to wear thick-framed, black glasses when she reads. Actually, she should be wearing them at all times, but for vanity's sake she only puts them on during classes or when she's studying or reading. She always keeps her hair long so that it falls past her shoulders. It's naturally pin-straight, but, when she has the time, she uses potions or spells to give it a little curl, since stick-straight hair gets very boring eventually. Her lips aren't very full, and she often has to use some sort of Chap Stick since they often get dry and cracked, especially during the summer, and she has a bad habit of biting them until they bleed. Her nose is a bit larger than she likes, but she's long-since learned to accept it. She finds dental hygiene to be extremely important, so she regularly brushes her teeth and flosses, giving her a nice set of white teeth that she proudly displays when she smiles. She supposes the only "remarkable" characteristic her face has is her chin dimple, but she doesn't think much of it, either, but she does like that she at least has a good, strong bone structure.
Physique:
Having played sports for most of her life and also tends to eat mostly healthy food, Evelyn is extremely fit. Between playing tennis and gymnastics back home and jogging in Hogwarts, she manages to maintain a healthy weight and a toned body. She's slightly taller than average, having finally stopped at 5'7 last year. She's quite pleased with this height, because it makes her appear graceful and she walks the way her mother taught her to ever since she was a little girl; with her back straight and shoulders thrown back, which adds to the effect of her height. She's always been a little frustrated by her body shape, however, since, while she has a generous backside (perhaps a little too generous, in her opinion), her bosom is ample in comparison, and she often feels disproportional, but she supposes that, at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter, because it's not like she goes out of her way to 'show off' her body. Evelyn is very conservative when it comes to clothes; her outfits are usually quite formal, too. Her wardrobe is full of variations of sweaters and blazers and trousers and skirts that, usually, don't reach above the knee. She always keeps herself presentable, with her shirts pressed and tucked in and her shoes shined. Appearances are a big part of the first impression that you make on someone, after all! You don't want to make them think you're lazy or, worse, a slob.
Wand Type: Dragon Heartstring core, Willow, bendy, 10"
Wand Expertise: Charms
Patronus: Squirrel
Boggart: Herself, as a failure
Personality:
Evelyn wouldn't have been half as successful as she is today if she wasn't smart. She likes to excel in everything; it was the way she was taught. You had to be good at everything, or you were useless. A failure. And Evelyn certainly doesn't like being a failure. She's book-smart, of course, and often gets top grades in all of her classes – or, okay, most. She only managed to get an 'A' in Divination, but her parents forgave her because she insisted that it was a completely useless subject and had no logic behind it what-so-ever, and it was absolutely impossible to see anything in the stupid crystal ball, but apparently the professor didn't seem to think she was trying hard enough. Really, it's a wonder she even passed. Still, her eleven other 'O's easily made up for that class, and she dropped Divination when she went into her sixth year; although she was disappointed she wouldn't be able to have twelve NEWTs, she didn't think she would be able to stand another year of Professor Trelawney's "inner eye" nonsense. She had enough on her plate, thank you very much! Besides, seeing another 'A' on her report card would possibly drive her nuts, because she's so used to doing so well. Unfortunately, she doesn't particularly enjoy most of the subjects. Oh, she can learn tons of material, and apply it very well, and she's quite good at the practical side of things, as well (although she does better when she's learning things off by heart). If she can learn it from a book, and/or use logic, then she'll definitely excel in the subject. She only really studies for the grades, though; there's no other motivation besides being the best she could be. Which she's always found to be a little sad, considering the fact that she's going to be a Healer and, if it's anything like muggle medicine, that requires a lot of learning, which could turn out to be quite boring after a few years if she's not interested in it. Still, her parents have made her feel like she has no other choice; because she's so smart, the obvious career for her would be something incredibly difficult, and since they believe Healer is equivalent to Doctor, that was the career track Evelyn had to choose. Evelyn is also the type of person who dissects situations and completely thinks them through logically before taking a step. She knows better than to be reckless, and she takes making decisions – even the simplest ones like what she's going to wear that day – very seriously. There's no room for errors, after all, because you never know if you're ever going to get a second chance; so don't waste the first one if you know what's good for you.
Fact: Evelyn doesn't know how to talk to her peers. Because she's never really had any friends growing up, she's never learned how to socialise, or what interests other kids, or how to play with them, although she'd always wondered what it would be like because she always read that the girls would play barbies together, and she was never allowed to have barbies anyway because she would be "too busy" to play with them anyway, so she was given books instead. And then, when she came to Hogwarts, there were just so many people, it was quite intimidating. Having been homeschooled, she had no idea that this was what a real school would be like. And then, when she tried to befriend the people in her own house, she became tongue tied and either simply managed a little "er. Hi" before she focused on her food, or she ended up going on a tangent about how to properly tie your shoes, or how lightning strikes and, honestly? Things haven't changed that much. It's not that she doesn't want any friends; quite the opposite! She wants it, sometimes too much that she comes off as desperate when she wants someone to like her, which eventually leads to her being a bit clingy. She has yet to realise that people find her clinginess annoying and that they really didn't have something suddenly "come up", but they were actually just thinking of a quick excuse to get away; which is understandable if she suddenly starts talking about the complicated meaning behind the play 'Macbeth', and how Lady Macbeth's story line was extremely powerful, just as powerful as her husband's; people often suddenly feel the urge to do something else before she even reaches her reasoning as to why Lady Macbeth killed herself, and they give her a quick "you can tell me later" before they're gone, but Evelyn never really gets the chance to tell them later anyway. As clever as she might be sometimes, she can be pretty stupid when it comes to people and relationships. She's not very sensitive, so she tends to speak her mind without thinking and either make people uncomfortable or insult them (or both), and she doesn't really do physical affection; there was a sixth year earlier this year who wanted to give Free Hugs and Evelyn thought it might be a good opportunity to make a friend, but since she doesn't really do hugs, it was quite…well, awkward. The girl seemed to be really into it, but all Evelyn could do was think about how she was kind-of suffocating since her neck was pressed against the girl's shoulder and she didn't really know what to do with her hands so she sort of patted the girl's back slightly and hoped she would let go soon. And then, when she did let go, it was Evelyn's turn to give a quick excuse and run away. She's never had a boyfriend, although she's had crushes before; she's just never known what to do with them. When she was twelve, she kissed a boy's cheek because she thought he had nice eyes; he, too, ran away and she was so embarrassed, she's been avoiding him since. And that, really, has been Evelyn's entire love life.
Most of the activities that Evelyn has been participating in for her whole life are competitive, and that's quite a few activities, such as educational-wise, and then there's piano, and tennis, and gymnastics, and equestrian; she participates in tennis tournaments during the summer, she has entered several musical competitions where she played the piano, and, basically, her parents tended to shove her into every competition you can think of short of pie-eating contests. Naturally, this sparked an extremely competitive edge in Evelyn, so much so that pretty much everything became a competition to her – everything that mattered, anyway. If she was going to go to Hogwart, she was going to be the top of her class, always. If she was in a tennis tournament, she had to win. Even little things like her trunk – it had to be colour-coded and the neatest trunk there should be. Of course, the latter is equal parts competition and her tendency to be anal about such things. She likes being the top, she adores winning, and she absolutely despises being one-upped by someone, especially if she doesn't believe that that person is worthy. She's not much of a good sport, to be honest, and should she lose she has a tendency to mope around for quite a few days, and she'd rarely congratulate her opponent; if anything, she'd probably glower in their direction, and maybe grunt something out before she stomps off to sulk in her dormitory, using Hamlet for comfort. It's why she tries her best to win, to avoid the absolutely horrid feeling of being a loser. She doesn't understand how so people can deal with failures over and over again. Honestly, she feels sorry for them. If it was her in their place, then she wouldn't be able to live with herself! Thankfully, she's always confident that she'll end up being the winner and, more often than not, she is; and she sure practices enough to deserve the win.
It's quite ironic (or, perhaps, depressing) that the one thing Evelyn is both extremely good at and enjoys doing above everything else is something that her parents would never approve of, and thus she has to keep a secret; although, often, she has to wonder why because it's really not like she loves baton twirling. Now that would be completely and utterly useless. No, no, she likes art. Drawing and painting and sketching using anything and everything. She's used water colours, charcoal, acrylic paint, oil paint, felt tip pens, coloured pencils – anything that she can sneak away whenever she's allowed to go shopping alone. It first started when her tutor gave her a sketchbook and a couple of pencils when she was nine years old and told her to let her creativity flow. And then she started drawing anything and everything in sight. Just like her personality, her drawings came out very true and precise; an almost exact replica of the object. She drew her neighbour's houses, the trees in their yard, and then their mansion, and then random objects in her room. And then she started drawing people, like her mother and father, and then her tutor himself. It wasn't long before she'd finished the entire sketch book, and then she gave it back to the tutor, who then gave her some crayons, and it went on like that until it came to a point where Evelyn was looking forward to those few hours of free time her parents allowed her just so that she could do art. For some reason, she hid it from her parents. She was terrified that they would find out and forbid her from using the supplies her tutor gave her and, when she grew older, she was convinced that they would, so she kept it a secret. It's what she does to relax when she's feeling stressed out, or just to have fun. She enjoys painting and drawing everything; landscapes, people, fantastical creatures that she makes up, or that she's only read about in text books. It's a secret she's willing to take to the grave, because she couldn't stand it if she wasn't allowed to do it anymore.
Needless to say that, with everything that she has to do and all the responsibilities she takes on, Evelyn is often extremely stressed out. She's often seen in class with her shoulders high, her posture stiff. The only time she's ever relaxed is when she's painting or drawing, and even then it's only about an hour or so every day; otherwise, she's always busy, and she does everything fast; she talks fast, answers fast, walks fast, eats fast, writes fast. Hell, she even falls asleep fast. If there's one thing that she spends time on, it's her homework. Although she might write it quickly, but she spends quite a lot of time redoing it until it's absolutely perfect. She's never had a drop of alcohol in her life and, because she's not exactly a social butterfly, she's never invited to parties, and she doesn't exactly participate in fun, group events. She really doesn't know how to unwind besides painting, and sometimes that makes her come off as uptight and high-strung; which she is, but it's not her fault. She's sure that if anyone else had to do everything that she did, they would be just as stressed out as she was! Besides, this year is NEWT years, and she has to get the top marks, and it's the most difficult year so of course she'll be stressed out because there's so much to study, and added on that she has to practice gymnastics so that she won't forget any of the moves, and she has to practice the piano (she was allowed to bring a sort of wizarding keyboard to school so that she could practice. It was nothing like the classical piano, but it wasn't like she could bring it to Hogwarts, so it would have to do). Her schedule is almost always chock-full, so what else can you expect?
Evelyn absolutely hates this part because she'll insist until she's blue in the face that she's not anal. She doesn't think there's anything at all obsessive about her neatness. She just likes everything to be organised and clean and in its correct place! And, okay, so maybe she gets a little annoyed whenever she sees that someone has moved her things (read: absolutely flips out and starts over completely) or tried to organise them in a different order, but what is that such a big deal? She likes things a certain way because she's comfortable, and honestly it makes her life easier! She makes schedules because she then knows what she has to do at a certain time and isn't stuck with lulls of time where she has nothing to do, and she'll also be sure that she's done with her homework in time to hand them in, leaving no room for error. And so what if she likes to keep things in alphabetical order and has day-of-the-week underwear? They make life easier! And then colour coding just makes things pretty (and organised), and also makes things easier to find. It's not like she spends hours slaving over the little things – only a couple of minutes every day! And so what if she likes to re-do making the bed before she goes to sleep? Sometimes the house elves can get extremely sloppy. She also likes to look neat and presentable at all times, because people care about that stuff, you know? At least, her parents taught her that. She certainly doesn't want to look like she rolled out of bed in the morning and simply came to breakfast!
Evelyn is also extremely conservative. She never wears anything too revealing, and she never swears. If she hears someone swearing, she often scolds them for doing so, telling them they should wash their mouth out with soap and do they really kiss their mother with that horrid mouth? Unfortunately, she soon learned that they don't care what she thinks about their swearing, and thus she simply sticks to giving them long, disappointed glances. She was raised in a strict Catholic household and, before coming to Hogwarts, would go to church every Sunday with her parents. She's never seen without her cross pendant hanging from a chain around her neck, and her purity ring, which her mother gave her when she was thirteen when she gave her the 'birds and the bees' talk, asking her to promise to remain pure until marriage; a promise Evelyn has kept so far, and intends to keep.
Likes:
+ Schedules; A lot of people might say that having schedules is boring and up-tight or whatever teenagers call it, but I find them to be quite necessary. Why wouldn't you want to know what you're doing next, or how much time you have to finish an activity. Otherwise, you won't ever get anything done, and how are you supposed to know when you're free to set up appointments with people? Not that I exactly have enough friends to hang out with, and hardly any spare time anyway, but still, the fact remains that schedules keep things organised and neat.
+ Cats; Especially my cat, Hamlet. She has a tendency to crawl into the most awkward places, and she likes to sit on my homework a lot, but she's quite obedient and usually moves off when I tell her to. She also quite likes sitting on my back when I'm lying down. Cats can be so strange sometimes, but she's the most loyal friend I've had so far.
+ The colour blue; It's my favourite colour, I don't suppose there's much more I can say other than that. I prefer lighter blue, however, which is why I always write using that ink whenever I can; although, of course, I use black for my essays and other important documents. It's the formal colour to use.[/color]
+ Shakespeare; Oh, I happen to think that he's an absolute genius! I really don't care what people say, about him being a woman, or someone impersonating him or all the other ridiculous rumours. They're only envious they can't produce half the things he does. I enjoy his plays the most, to be honest, although I do like some of his sonnets as well; I suppose that's because I'm not much of a romantic sap. Hamlet is my favourite, although Macbeth comes in at a close second.[/color]
+ Painting and drawing; I love everything artistic, in general. I'm very good at drawing and painting, and I've always been able to appreciate beauty in others and in nature in general. I also enjoy trying to create beauty. Often times when I'm feeling upset I would pick up a paintbrush and just start painting and it really does feel like I'm pouring my whole soul into my art. Of course, I never told my parents about this hobby since they would find it to be a complete waste of time. My mother's blood pressure would probably sky rocket if I told her I considered a career in art. I can just hear her voice now: "Really, Evelyn? You want to become an artist? So you want to be practically penniless, then? You want to waste all those years we've spent building you up to be something, you want to forget all about going to college – or however you wizards do it – to become a doc—Healer? What an absolute waste! No, I will not allow you to throw your life away like that." Yeah, no thanks, that one's staying a secret.[/color]
+ Responsibility; Knowing that I'm responsible for something makes me feel important. I don't understand why some people would run away from responsibility; don't people know that taking on responsibility makes you special and builds up your character for the future? How are you supposed to get a good job if you're not responsible and punctual? Not to mention being trusted by someone is an incredible honour.[/color][/i]
+ Competition; I don't compete with everyone, of course, but I do believe that some healthy competition is necessary. I enjoy knowing that I have an equal that I can try to beat. It's why I enjoy muggle sports; if I liked flying, I would have probably wanted to join our Quidditch team, if only for the competition. However, as it is, I compete in my education at Hogwarts. And, I don't want to brag, but I do usually come out on top.[/color]
+ Colour-coding things; It makes things look good and they're organised so that I can easily find what I'm looking for. I don't get why my dorm mates find it to be a form of OCD, I'm just being neat. So while they're spending ages trying to find the sweater they way, I can find mine at the drop of a hat![/color]
+ Equestrian; Out of all the lessons I have had to take, horse-back riding is probably my favourite. Horses are also one of my favourite animals; they're extremely intelligent and, when treated properly, they are quite friendly and gentle. I have my own horse, Macbeth, back home, and he's one of my favourite companions. Very gentle, very loyal, and he has no trouble at all listening to me when I need someone to talk to! Of course, I know he can't answer back, but he always appears to be listening anyway.[/color]
+ Spring and Autumn; I like them because the weather is always mild during those two seasons – aside from the rain during Autumn, but I like rain anyway, so it's all right. I always feel that summer and winter give way to excuses to be lazy; during winter, there is great temptation to simply cuddle in front of a fire and do nothing, while during summer all you really want to do is laze about because it's so hot. I, myself, have often fallen victim to this way of thinking, much to my disappointment. I try not to do it too often, though. Perseverance is the key![/color]
Dislikes:
– Heights; I have absolutely no shame in admitting that I have a terrible fear of heights. As soon as I'm too high off the ground, my heart tries to jump out of my bottom and my limbs freeze up. I recall quite vividly my first year in Hogwarts. When I learned that we would be taking flying lessons, I was absolutely terrified. And then, when the lesson started, I started crying as soon as the broom left the ground because I couldn't get back on the ground! I think the broom sensed that I was scared, because it wouldn't do as I said, and Madam Hooch had to fly to me and bring me back down herself before I fell off. It was quite embarrassing, and I wish my peers wouldn't have had to witness that. I was teased terribly for weeks, but at least I was allowed to miss the flying lessons; Madam Hooch found me more of a nuisance than anything. I don't see why learning to fly is so important anyway. It's not like I was ever interested in playing Quidditch (to my parents' extreme disappointment). Why would anyone want to fly around on a piece of wood that doesn't even have a seat belt or a harness or anything to secure you?! What if you slipped off? Or what if you lost control of the broom? Or what if it broke? I will never understand the fascination for it.[/color]
– Playing the piano; I never liked it, really. Piano is easily my least favourite instrument, but I was taught never to complain, and I've been playing it for years. I honestly would have preferred the violin, but I'm sure mother would have found some way to complain about it, and so I keep my mouth shut about it, like I do most things.
– Being lazy; My whole life, I've always been kept busy, and I've learned that it's important to constantly be doing something productive. I hate feeling lazy, or just lounging around and doing nothing. I don't understand how some students can sleep in until lunch time during the weekends; I'm always up at the crack of dawn to take a few laps around the lake and return in time for breakfast. If I wake up too late, I always feel like half the day is gone. Now, I do think I should elaborate on this point: I do enjoy occasionally resting in my bed, especially when my muscles are particularly sore, but I don't view that as lazing about because Hamlet often enjoys curling up beside me (well, usually on me), and I don't find spending time with Hamlet as time wasted at all![/color]
– Wasted potential; I truly believe that everyone – well, almost everyone - has the potential to be something, they just need to want it. Now, me? I want it. Of course I do. But seeing other people who have the potential to be great, whether it's in their studies or something else, but they're much too lazy to do anything about it, or they don't believe in themselves, and it's just such a shame. My advice to those people? Find something that inspires you. That motivates you. That gives meaning to your life. Make a goal and pursue it. Make something of yourself. If you have enough perseverance – and the abilities, of course, because it's not all persistence - then you will succeed.[/color]
– Crossing things out; I just thinks it's very messy, and it aggravates me when I see blotches and squiggly lines in letters I might receive. I, myself, always start over when I write something wrong. If you want to be taken seriously, and you want to appear professional and, well, neat, then you must present your writing in the cleanest and neatest way possible, even if you are just passing notes in class (which, really, is something no one should do, although I, myself, have fallen into the trap of doing so occasionally, because sometimes there is something quite important to tell the person and I don't want to forget; for example, there was once a girl sitting in front of me who had her shirt tucked into her underwear and you could see them, so I thought she would appreciate it if I told her so. I saved her from walking around and flashing her panties everywhere, and I'm sure she was eternally grateful that I rescued her from such an embarrassing fate, even though she didn't use those exact words when I told her). Anyway, I digress. Crossing things out makes you seem hesitant and unsure; all qualities one wants to avoid to be successful in life.[/color]
– Being in photographs; I know many people – girls, especially – who enjoy taking photographs of themselves, or being in photographs, because they look good. I, however, am not one of those girls. I happen to be extremely unphotogenic, and tend to look absolutely terrible in pictures, and thus avoid being in them at all costs. It might seem silly to some people when I duck out of the way of the camera, but honestly, I don't want to look bad just to make other people happy.[/color]
– Secrets; You know that muggle saying – secrets, secrets are no fun until you share with every one? Well, I happen to agree. Hearing whispering and giggles in dormitories annoys me, and I've always found that keeping secrets is difficult – after all, I'm keeping a secret from my parents, and that's my painting hobby. But I don't think that's too big of a secret, and I've often almost slipped up and told them a few times. I'm quite terrible at keeping secrets, after all. That could be why no one ever tells me anything, because I tend to blurt it out to people…makes sense.[/color][/i]
– Losing; Well, I don't think anyone likes losing. I just happen to dislike it more than the average person. Oh, I don't throw tantrums or anything like that, but the few times that I did lose (like during that tennis competition two summers ago, but in my defence I wasn't completely 100 percent sound in body as I had twisted my ankle the week before during practice, but I refused to step down because I am not a quitter, and thus I lost. But only by a few points! But anyway, I digress. When I lost, I became quite depressed, and wouldn't leave my room for days; mostly because I also wouldn't have been able to handle the looks of disappointment on my parents' face. They got over it when I had that piano recital and got a standing ovation, though. My parents forget the little things easily.
– Misplacing things; When was six years old, I lost a stuffed animal at the park. I cried for the whole day because I felt so terrible.[/color]
– The fact that she's so socially awkward; I don't know why I'm that way, but it's extremely frustrating. Many people tend to zone out when I'm talking to them, and I really don't know how to keep my mouth shut. Socializing is a skill that I, unfortunately, do not possess. Really, I do try to make conversation with people, but I have a tendency to choose the oddest topics. The other day, I was trying to talk to someone about the process in which the factories make cheese. I thought it was fascinating stuff, but my peer didn't seem to agree because he simply walked off. How rude![/color]
History:
Jennifer Miller had big plans. And by big, she means big. She was the golden child, the intelligent one in the family, the one that was going places. She got straight A's in all her school work, she was in as many different activities as she could fit in her busy schedule, she was every mother's dream daughter (in her humble opinion, although her mother never said it, but she was sure she must have thought it). Her sister got married when she was eighteen, fresh out of high school, and was almost immediately barefoot and with child; Jennifer saw Melanie's dreams of becoming a lawyer disappear to be replaced by a desire to have more and more children until she had three boys and one girl. Jennifer hardly even recognised her sister anymore; she was completely in love with Bradley, her husband, and he must have put her under some sort of spell, because Jenny had never thought she'd see the day when her sister give up her dreams just to get married and stay at home with her children. Jennifer was only fifteen at the time, and became determined to never be the same way; she was going to graduate high school with a 4.0 GPA, she was going to go into medical school and be the most brilliant doctor you can imagine, and she was going to wait for marriage – if it even happened at all! She had potential, so much potential, and she was not going to let herself waste it away. It was why she resolutely refused to get into any relationships during high school, knowing that they'd be too much of a distraction. Her biggest fear was that she'd end up falling for one of them, like Mel did, and then her dreams and hopes will be dashed and she'd be stuck with child and no job, and she couldn't – no, she wouldn't – let that happen, not even if she met the most perfect man. She had self-control, she had priorities, and absolutely nothing was going to change that.
And then she met Charles Townsend and her world was flipped.
Charles Townsend was rich, spoiled and used to getting exactly what he wanted, when he wanted it. His father's father's father (or something like that) built a construction company way-back-when, and it became one of the best in England, and then the best. It was passed down from generation to generation and, soon enough, Charlie would be inheriting it too, and sitting behind his father's large desk, and managing the family business. At least, that’s what's been drilled into him from day one. He'd never really been interested in the family business, to be honest. Really, he'd been more interested in girls and drinking than anything, so he supposed that never really counted for anything. His future was planned out for him from day one, and he knew better than to question it; no one questions Mr. Townsend. So, Charlie tried to make the best of his life before he was tied down to a job he never wanted, so he dipped his hands into a little of everything, hopping from school to school and then, when he finally graduated (with surprisingly high grades, considering his general lack of interest in academia, but he'd always been known as 'the kid who was smarter than people give him credit for'), he continued his hopping. First, he took a "gap year" and travelled the United Kingdom – without informing his parents until he sent them a letter from Liverpool. And then he spent a year in law school, decided it wasn't really "him" so he switched to business, found it to be too much of a building block for his future job and he wasn't interested in his father latching onto him or getting any ideas about Charles being any more willing about his impeding future so he went to medical school. And that's where he met Jennifer Miller.
As corny as it sounds, Jennifer will swear that sparks flew the moment she shook Charles' hand and they exchanged names. She'd never felt this attracted to anyone this fast, and it caught her completely off-guard, so much so that she couldn't bring herself to say no when he asked her out for dinner, seemingly throwing behind her promise to herself never to get involved with anyone; at least, not until she was done with her education and had a steady job. But there was just something about him; perhaps it was the mischievous sparkle in his eyes, or the glint of his bright, white teeth, or his charming smile, or the firm way he held her hand when they met, like he never wanted to let her go. But that was crazy talk, wasn't it? People didn't just fall in love from first sight. They couldn’t! And yet, she couldn't deny that she tried on about a dozen different dresses before she finally settled on the perfect one, and why she stressed out over her hair, and actually broke out the make-up kit that she hadn't touched since she'd received it from her hopeful sister on her seventeenth birthday. She had no idea what to name it, this feeling, but it was as if her heart had grown a set of wings and it was fluttering about in her rib cage, ready to burst right from her chest and into Charles' hand and, by the time she realised what was happening, it was too late and they were already laughing over their meat course and she was touching his arm more than she should, and smiling so broadly her cheeks were beginning to ache, but that didn't matter because she couldn't seem to not smile around him. And, God, he was just so funny and down-to-earth and different, he was her complete opposite and they shouldn't have gotten along, not at all, and she knew, deep down, that she was approaching dangerous territory, but she just couldn't stop. It was like she'd simply let go and was now plummeting through thin air, but it didn't matter because Charles would be there to catch her. Charles. Beautiful Charles. Wonderful Charles. Amazing Charles.
Before she knew it, a year had passed and Charles was proposing. His eyes, hopeful and bright and filled with love for her, distracted her from the little voice reminding her how she didn't want to end up like her sister and, instead of the refusal the little voice insisted on, she found herself shouting yes! The wedding was glorious, and her sister (pregnant, again) was her maid of honour; she managed to refrain from saying I told you so. It was all a whirlwind of events and emotions and Charles and Jennifer was so caught up in it. By the time she realised what was happening, it was already too late. She was pregnant, and she had quit medical school to stay at home in their mansion and take care of their child, and that was when the regrets starting swimming to the surface. God, how could she have let herself get this way? Hadn't she promised she wouldn't end up like her sister? That she would follow her dreams? And now look where that got her! She was staying at home, pregnant. She'd become one of those women. And Charles wouldn't let her work, because she had to take care of their baby, and besides he made more than enough to take care of all of them, they certainly didn't need two working parents and, just like that, Jennifer was stuck in a life she never wanted. Oh, sure, she loved her husband, but what about her dreams? What about becoming the best doctor there ever was? Now she was nothing but another wife and mother. And she swore then that if she ever had a daughter, she would never let the same thing happen to her.
Evelyn Grace Townsend was born mid-August on a hot summer's day. Both Charles and Jennifer couldn't have been more relieved; Charles because he didn't have to force the family business on any son of his, and Jennifer because she would finally be able to make things right through her daughter. It was mostly Jennifer's fault for the way Evelyn turned out, although Charles always went along with it; but she was the one who suggested the numerous activities Evelyn should be in, and she was the one who insisted Evelyn be homeschooled, giving the excuse that the other children wouldn't be able to handle her brilliance (and they could already tell Evelyn was an intelligent child; she had incredible genes from both her parents, after all). So they hired a tutor and she was homeschooled. And then the other lessons started; first, piano, because a musical background looked excellent on any resume, and showed that they were cultured and had other talents besides studies. And then, of course, athletics were a must too – it showed that you had a healthy sense of competition and that you care about your body and want to be healthy. So, Jennifer put her in tennis classes and gymnastics. She also took swimming lessons, but, while Evelyn enjoyed them well enough, she wasn't as good at it. When she was deemed old enough, Evelyn took horse-back riding lessons. It wasn't long before these lessons became tournaments and Evelyn won her first medal during a kid's riding competition when she was only nine years old; her parents couldn't have been prouder. That same year, she won first place in a tennis tournament, and Evelyn supposed that was when it really all began. Her mother's obsession with her daughter becoming the best at everything, which quickly transferred to Evelyn, like a fever that she caught, and once you started you couldn't stop. The feeling of winning was addictive, and Evelyn and her parents just couldn't get enough. Jennifer was pleased because Evelyn was exactly the daughter she wanted: intelligent, talented and persistent. She had all the qualities that she, herself, had had as a young woman. It was completely clear that Jennifer was supposed to rectify her own mistakes through her daughter. Why else would God have gifted her with Evelyn?
They weren't counting on her to being a witch, though.
When the Townsends first received Evelyn's acceptance letter, they were suspicious; they believed it was all a hoax, especially since it wasn't like she'd shown any magical abilities. Evelyn, on the other hand, was surprisingly accepting, claiming that she'd known all along and it definitely made sense, because how else could she have survived that fall when the horse bucked her off? Even the doctors had exclaimed their shock over her speedy recovery, insisting that something like that should have killed her. And then she admitted that sometimes strange things did happen to her, like when that girl, Abigail, won the match they had last time, she made her soda blow up in her face. Her parents quickly became accustomed to the idea, finding a positive side to it: this just made their daughter that much more unique. And, even though Jennifer would no longer be able to home school her, she was sure that Evelyn would continue to excel in her studies and, when she got older, Jennifer would make sure to make her promise not to distract herself with boys and the like, because they were too much trouble and Evelyn would do well to remember that.
And with that, Evelyn was off to Hogwarts.
It's been six years since Evelyn was sent off to Hogwarts, and her mother hasn't changed a bit; if anything, she's only gotten worse, becoming more and more paranoid about Evelyn now that she's getting older, worried that she might fall into the same trap that Jennifer had. Evelyn really doesn't think she has anything to worry about, though. She doubts she'll be suddenly attractive to the opposite gender any time soon; it's been six years and her love life has been an absolute blank slate, how's that going to change in one year? No, Evelyn is planning on sticking to her promise: no boys; just excellent grades and more trophies for the trophy case.
And maybe a fabulous work of art that can rival Picasso's.
Sample Post: See posts by Benjamin Burke, Lily Evans, Gabriella Rivera or Jezebel Sauveterre, please (:
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I solemnly swear that I, NAJOOJ, have read the rules, understand clearly what my responsibilities are now that I am joining ISS, and will abide by these standards set by the staff.[/color][/blockquote]
