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homenum-revelio-hq · 5 years ago

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Welcome to the Order of the Phoenix, Caroline!

You have been accepted for the role of ALICE LONGBOTTOM! It was so much fun to read about your Alice! I loved the way you explored the parts of Alice that are conflicted within the Order and her role within her family, as well as the survival and biases sections. I am so excited to have you as part of this roleplay!

Please take a look at the new member checklist and send in your account within 24 hours! Thank you for joining the fight against Voldemort!

OUT OF CHARACTER:

NAME: Caroline

AGE: 21

TIMEZONE: EST

ACTIVITY LEVEL: Roleplay’s a hobby, and often times the commitments that take precedence do just that — they take their precedence, and it’s something I’m rather unyielding on. I am able to come on and post fairly regularly, at least two days out of the week on busier weeks, and if the need for a hiatus/semi-hiatus arises I am fairly good in getting everything squared away with the admin. My activity high points are at nights, on weekends and Wednesdays, and I’m typically always lurking on mobile for plotting purposes at the very, very minimum!

ANYTHING ELSE: I'm about to talk your head off, for which I apologize! I’m a rambler through and through; never been able to stop it and I don’t think I ever will. Also, I’m submitting another application (because I really could not decide on just one character, thank you for that), so if you notice any similarities within the OOC exploration section of the application, that’s why! I ask that you please consider Alice as my first choice character. Thank you so much!

CHARACTER DETAILS:

NAME: Alice Camille Longbottom (née Fortescue); Alice, a German-originating name, means “noble.” It is derived from the Greek word alethéia, which means “truth." Camille is derived from the Latin camilla, and its related meaning pertains to an unblemished character or pureness in order to serve at the altar.

AGE: Thirty-three; Alice was born on May 6, making her a Taurus. Taurus women are described as powerful forces to be reckoned with and the same could be said for Alice. Determined, uncompromising, and somewhat of a dark horse, Alice works hard and plays hard (when she bothers to play at all) and every action is infused with great intent and purpose. Her level of thoroughness and fixity will sometimes get her in trouble — once the blinders are firmly strapped into place, there is typically no doubling back.

GENDER, PRONOUNS, and SEXUALITY: Alice identifies as cis-female and uses she/her pronouns. Her sexual orientation is heterosexual.

BLOOD STATUS: Pure-blood; while Alice’s family does not hail from the "Sacred 28”, both of her parents are of magical descent and come laden with rather typical pure-blood ideals, even if they are watered down.

HOUSE ALUMNI: Slytherin; green and silver scarf knotted tight around her neck, Slytherin was more of a stepping stone than a home. Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, even some Ravenclaws and Slytherins alike, they all had the notion that House equated family, but for Alice, it was merely the place that she best fit and the place that helped foster growth towards being the best possible Alice she could be. Rather introverted, Alice didn’t necessarily feel as though she belonged within the folds of her House’s fabric, and she certainly never took a needle and thread to sew herself into it. The stereotypes in Slytherin that others embraced were ones she actively turned away from. She liked not being tied down exclusively to her House and having friends elsewhere, liked having some degree of detachment that others didn’t seem to have when it came to falling for the idea that your House was your home. Slytherin was where she slept, Slytherin’s colors were hers, Slytherin encouraged her to follow ambition and was a garden where she could grow success, but her House pride derived from much different motives than that of her fellow alumni.

ANY CHANGES: N/A

CHARACTER BACKGROUND:

PERSONALITY:

Listen, I gotta start by saying that I absolutely Alice. The reason I was drawn to her bio in the first place is that first and foremost, Alice is a strong character. She is a strong woman, yes, but she is a strong character, period. She is unsure and sometimes unsteady but she is a force to be reckoned with. She does not compromise herself for anyone. She knows who she is at heart, even if she doesn’t know who she is as a player in this world. She has a strong mind and a strong heart and a strong sense of independence — she doesn't need anyone else.

As mentioned above, Alice is a bit of a dark horse, somewhat unconventional for a woman who has a pretty stiff ideal system. To some, that would translate as aloof, self-isolating, detached from emotion and unapproachable, but I find that the opposite. Alice doesn’t just encompass everyone at first meeting (if she did, she would have been a Hufflepuff) because she has recognized a pattern that people’s first impressions versus their real personalities has too wide a discrepancy for her to be comfortable with. Alice instinctively keeps up a set of walls because she is selective in who she trusts, but once over that hurdle, Alice is the person you’d want in your corner, the person you’d want by your side staring down death. She is the kind to deplete from her own cup to give more to others and she will not complain — she will not draw attention to it, either. She does it on her own volition, because she believes it’s the right thing to do, and she will ask for nothing in return. She doesn’t mind being alone (quiet moments with her cat snuggling in her lap are some of the best). She does not wait for sunlight to poke through a cloud on chance and find her; she works herself to the bone in order to create a hole in the dark sky. There aren’t very many people that she trusts enough to let see all the facets (work Alice, Order Alice, person Alice, etc.) but those who do can note the way light finds her and makes her shine in a subtly brilliant way, the same way low lights bring out sparkle. Her liveliness is rather subtle, only seen by those she wants to let see. She loves fiercely and when it comes to those she loves or those she feels needs protection, she doesn’t hesitate to stand in the way. She is ambitious not for the sake of ambition, but with a purpose and an end goal. She’s a visionary, striving for a world that is inclusive and fair. She’s smart and sophisticated, knowing exactly how to present herself and keep all her edges smooth with a polished exterior. She’s cool under pressure, level head on her shoulders that she lets rule her. It’s what makes her so good in duels; she knows how to stack priorities over reactions, how to get inside the head of her opponents and stay one step ahead. Her exterior is hard but it is only to protect the emotion that lies beneath. She feels every single chink and chip and blow and feels it completely, vibrations running through her. She knows that vulnerability is what powers endurance, but she doesn’t let others see what keeps the electricity on. It’s the private moments where she lets herself fall apart, and then she gracefully stitches herself back up to keep moving through another day.

She is her biggest critic and her worst enemy is the voice inside of her brain. She worries excessively, worries that she isn’t doing enough, that she isn’t enough. She sometimes feels like she’s torn between two different worlds and that there is no true place of belonging for her, that she’s merely drifting and playing a game of charades that will only result in her losing. She is perfectionistic and she likes for things to be done correctly. She likes structure, likes having a set of rules and doesn’t like to deviate from them (they exist for a reason, after all) and it puts her in compromising situations when she is around people who are deviating or asking her to do so. It’s this hesitance and inner debate before her decision that is a fatal flaw — it’s war. It’s nothing but hard decisions, and yes, they’re the type to get people killed. Alice will fight but she’s also the type to ask why. She wants to know that there’s an existing means to an end, that it’s not all for nothing, perhaps too much so at times. There’s also a purposeful ignorance about her, especially when it comes to the Ministry. She puts her entire backbone into her job and the institution that allows her the chance to do what she is passionate about, but that institution is as good as compromised and she’d still prefer to jump through all its hoops. She’d rather walk through every step and be thorough than take the short cut, because she believes it eliminates mistakes, but she doesn’t see that sometimes, not making the split decision and cutting out the excess is a mistake in and of itself. Her family is another weakness — they raised her, they are what she knows, but she also knows that some of the things they think aren’t what she’s learned are right. Brother against brother is not uncommon in war and that’s the kind of thing to make Alice hesitate. Slytherins will use any means to achieve their ends, after all, but if it means turning her back on her own family? She’s not sure she could. Her temper isn’t the best either (that goddamn Augusta is what really does it for her) and when someone finds her buttons and keeps pushing, she isn’t the type to take it lying down. She doesn’t forthright express what’s wrong but she does wear some of her emotions on her face, unable to control the split second reactions of disgust or irritation or otherwise. It’s hard for her when she believes she is in the right and no one else can see her point of view (or refuses to), and it’s something that makes her shut down on the spot — or resort to more drastic measures.

Wands, too, I think, speak volumes about their wizard’s personality. Wood: Rowan. Rowan wands are comfortable in the hands of those who are clear-headed and pure-hearted, which I think suits Alice quite nicely. Though the roads to hell are paved with them, she always has intentions for and of the best at the forefront of all she does and her mind is quite good at remaining one tracked and steady when placed under duress. According to Ollivander, rowan wands will perform equal to, if not better and out-perform other wands specifically in duels. Rowan wands do well with defensive magic, a particular strength Alice has per her own reputation as one half of an extraordinarily gifted (and perhaps lethal) dueling team to come through the Auror department. Core: Phoenix tail feather. Phoenix tail feathers can often be found in the cores of wands owned by witches and wizards who are considered noble, wise, willing, strong-willed, bright, loyal, and self-sacrificing, all of which are traits that align closely with Alice’s personality. While this core is not common among Slytherins due to its reputation to impede Dark spells, which further solidifies Alice’s personality veering from the stereotypes of Slytherin house. The qualities she holds near aligned with Slytherin but she knows there is a right way to obtain success and pursue ambitions. Flexibility: Hard. Owners of hard wands tend to view things in absolutes (black or white), which is a beyond fair summation of Alice. These are people who others may find intimidating or difficult to approach. Wands of this flexibility are great for complex and advanced levels of magic, which I envision Alice having wholeheartedly embraced. Learning was a piece in the equation to becoming the best she could possibly be and I see her brain being like that of a sponge, absorbing all it could and constantly wanting to take things to the next step, eager to move on to a higher level since the ceiling for her didn’t (and does not) exist.

And, because I really love personality tests… MBTI Type: ISTJ - The Logistician (x) Moral Alignment: Lawful Neutral - The Judge Enneagram: Type 1 - The Reformer (x) Element: Earth

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF FAMILY:

The Fortescue family was, in terms of how pure-blood society operated, under the radar. No one looked to a Fortescue as an example (or a non-example); they were often after-thoughts. It was very much, oh! A Fortescue! They weren’t shunned out, they weren’t outcasts, but they certainly weren’t sitting in the thick of things. Dexter Fortescue was not the first Headmaster of Hogwarts to come to mind, after all, but not being first didn’t mean you were last. Alice and her brother (and potentially other siblings - I am very flexible to this and would truthfully love to see some other Fortescues running around in this group) were raised by Fennell and Adrianne to follow after their desires and dreams with a single exception: do not bring shame to the family. Do not push the Fortescue name into the light for all of the wrong reasons. There was never an explicit correlation to shame and bloodline, with the Fortescues always rather indifferent towards Muggleborns — they did not have qualms or prejudice towards Muggleborns being a part of the Wizarding World (if magic chose you, it chose you) but still being embedded in pure-blood society to some degree, marrying outside of pure-bloods would have caused under-the-radar tension within the family. Everything in the Fortescue family was done in subtleties. If there was disapproval, it was not outright shown, but alluded to in the choice of words or lack of action taken. Tempers, if they existed, were always below the surface. Alice could never truly recall a time when she saw her parents fight or get into arguments or display anger in a dazzling firework display. Fortescues knew how to keep up an appearance, how to be poised, and all grievances were usually dealt with behind doors or ignored to the point where they merely suffocated themselves on their own silence.

Alice didn’t have a bad childhood; she was much more reserved than most children. She would ride brooms and play a crude position of Chaser in Quidditch matches with cousins who actually let her join in the games (usually due to an uneven number of players) but she would also find just as much fun in reading through the books her father kept in his study, a miniature library of sorts. She was not the first person noticed sitting around the dinner table, but in her family, there was never anything wrong with being a chameleon and blending in. Her mother raised her with the understanding that the loudest person in the room wasn’t always the right one. Success didn’t depend on being flashy. Hard work and the drive and a pinch of patience would do the trick. Expecting things was a horrible way to look at the world: it wouldn’t just offer its hand and give away everything without some sort of price, whether it was immediate payment or came about later. Alice looked up to her mother perhaps more so than her father, finding a strength in the way her mother carried herself, fashioning her own confidence in the image of her mother’s. Confidence didn’t mean cockiness. Confidence was believing in oneself and their abilities, and it could be quiet. Strength could be quiet and show itself in a myriad of ways. Of course, her childhood days and beliefs have since shifted since her days at Hogwarts and in the Ministry. She hasn’t lost touch with following ambitions down their paths, not needing to be a firestorm to be a firebrand, but in adulthood she has grown away from their shadows and stepped into the light of thinking for herself, letting her own experiences shape her. Her family likes order and balance, which explains their position in the war. Her parents and grandparents see value in a pure bloodline and because they have never had to understand the struggle of Muggleborns, do not see the genuine harm Voldemort and his followers and their ideals bring to the Wizarding world. She has cousins far down the branches of the family tree who she knows side with Voldemort in more than just opinion, but in battle, too. It genuinely bothers Alice to hear her family talk like this, a veil being swept away of sorts. Alice, in her heart, knows what is right. The world is changing, why shouldn’t views? Tradition is valued and respected but sometimes tradition is a sword that runs right through people, good people. As she’s gotten older and lived a life beyond her parent’s four walls, a life that has brought her up to the face of just as much strife as success, she finds it harder and harder to operate under the radar. There are times when she doesn’t want to sit back in the lounge chair like her father and press a thin smile over her mouth, she wants to start an argument so that things will move themselves along. Despite their disheartening talk, Alice loves them still and there is the horrifying thought that the war will force her to either stand with her family or against when all is said and done. She has lost the golden view of her childhood and dismantled any heroification of her parents, but breaking away from them is a level of instability she cannot bear to think about. She doesn’t see the hypocrisy in that action, either.

OCCUPATION:

There were lots of different occupations Alice could have (and wanted) to delve into. Healer, working somewhere within the Ministry with law and regulation; Alice is very much driven and motivated by making things right. Florean had ambitions leading him towards entrepreneurship, a path that didn’t seem too terrible for Alice (though she didn’t know what her business would have looked like, and she wasn’t nearly as charming as her brother to draw in customers). In the end, Auror prevailed, and Alice hasn’t looked back. She was tough enough to handle the pressure (that or she knew how to absorb the shocks well while remaining on her feet), smart enough to think on her feet, and hunting down and imprisoning those who abuse magic, use magic for wrongdoing, it gives her a sense of purpose. It fulfills her. Alice is not the type who can consciously waste her life away when she knows there are things she can do to improve the world that she lives in, and being an Auror means she gets the most immediate course of action in improving the world — even if it is taking down one Dark wizard at a time.

ROLE WITHIN THE ORDER/THOUGHTS ABOUT THE ORDER

The Order was, in the beginning, an extension activity. The Ministry had its boundaries like any structure of government would, and Alice could justify expanding beyond them. She saw the benefit in going the extra mile even if it was frowned upon on paper and in the laws. She, after all, had up close experience with Dark wizards, how they thought and the damage they could do, the threats they posed and how imperative it was to snuff out their sparks. She joined the Order on the precipice that it was the right thing: killing innocent people for things out of their control didn’t seem fair. She joined the Order because there was more she could do and the Order eliminated the need to dance around the red tape the Ministry would have set out. Alice wanted to fight, so she’d dedicate herself to the fight. It was new and exciting when the Order was first formed and even if some decisions from up high were questionable, it was a step on the path to making things right.

She’s somewhat of a veteran in the Order at this point. She’s survived long enough to have experienced highs and lows (and the current sinking low they are in as the scales tip out of their favor) that she’s got a jaded viewpoint of the Order. Violence used to be combated with skill, knowledge, strategy, the sheer goodness in their hearts or whatever noble shit she used to justify, and now it seems like the Order is sinking to the same levels as the Death Eaters when it comes to fighting fire with fire. The stakes raise consistently, especially being on the losing side, and more and more is asked of members of the Order who, like Alice, have tenure. Even members who are fresh in the fold are being asked to submit blind faith without context and Alice has lost all sense of novelty in that ideal, abandoned the assumption that it would result in victory. She is black and white in an organization that has always been grey and there are too many shades now for her to feel like she’s got any sense of alignment. Every decision and action sits uneasy with her. What were once infractions in the laws that she could justify turning a blind eye to (even if it did sprout lots and lots of questions) are now full on blowing past any sense of legality and it bothers her. There are too many shifty allegiances in the Order now — there’s Dorcas and her gang, taking matters into their own hands, there are those more committed to helping Muggleborns escape and go into hiding than eliminating the threat that causes them to go into hiding in the first place, there are those who no longer know where their loyalties lie, and then there are just those that she doesn’t trust, point blank. It’s hard for Alice to commit any kind allegiance to an organization that is hardly organized. She feels as though there’s no accountability, no real plan on how they’re going to win this war, and that will be what ultimately sinks the ship. Though she is a part of the inner circle, she doesn’t view it as any kind of grand privilege or incentive that she might have when she herself was bright eyed and ready to fight Death Eaters, eager to work hard and work her way up the ranks so she could feel her purpose being actualized and brought to fruition. I think Alice has her reasons for staying in the Order (people like Caradoc, trying to make her marriage with Frank stay afloat, the whole “we’re trying to take down the bad guys” thread still there somewhere in the tapestry) but it’s not because she agrees with what they’re doing anymore. It is a sinking ship. She is very much chained to it and the more they lose, the more conscious she grows of how heavy the chains are.

SURVIVAL:

“How have they not died?” I just love this question. You can figure Alice Longbottom hasn’t died because one, she’s not the type to follow anyone blindly and thinks for herself (she’ll be the first to question something if it sparks a question inside her) and two, there’s still a fair slew of Death Eaters running around. You could bet that if she’s going, she’s taking as many as she can with her with a bloodstained smile. Her death is something she refuses to let occur in vain. Like her life, it’d have purpose.

On a much more serious, in-depth sort of note, part of the reason Alice has stayed alive as long as she has comes with the privilege of her pure-blood. Her family aren’t blood traitors, not so far on the outskirts that they don’t have good graces to get them by. She takes advantage of it more than she realizes. She tries not to rely on her own bloodline or the one she married into to save her skin, but it has certainly dragged her out by the skin of her teeth from hairy situations before. Her position in the Ministry has also somewhat kept her stable. The Order is as good as illegal these days, and while the Ministry is corrupt, keeping her position as an Auror keeps a blanket of cover over her not-so-legal pastimes. She shut down the possibility of being a part of the Order to people with their prying eyes and questions and she has never outwardly given them reason to double back and pry further. Hunting Dark wizards puts a target on her back, obviously, but her skill and the formidable duo she and Frank can be has kept her alive. Her survival is strategic. She is aware that no one is safe, that even with all bases covered there are still blind spots. She doesn’t have an invincibility complex. She knows and has made peace with the fact she could die at any point, long since been a truth she’s accepted (practically necessity in being an Auror). It doesn’t mean that she doesn’t pull out the stops, have her reasons and hoping they will see her through. She stays at the Ministry not just in the hopes there is something left to save, but because of the protection it provides. She stays in the Order because there is value to her position in the inner circle, protection against those who think she is playing for the other team and intel that has kept her one step ahead in her work. She can divide her loyalty and the time has yet to come where she is forced to pick only one to commit to.

RELATIONSHIPS:

Alice is not a people person, not really. She’s an ISTJ; their circles are small and the way they make friends is utterly methodical. Alice picks and chooses who she puts time, energy, and loyalty into, and she doesn’t do so lightly — once it’s given, very rarely will she retract it. That said, it’s a time of war, and Alice is rapidly losing her stability, which means loyalty isn’t necessarily spouting out of her in spades. Relationships at this point in time have to be of substance, conversations need a purpose and an end goal or result contrived from them.

I think her relationship with Frank is possibly the most important relationship in her life at the moment, especially considering that it’s crumbling. Frank was the yin to her yang. She thought him a perfect complement to her; it was why they were so lethal in duels. He understood her, she (thought she) understood him, and Alice truly felt herself better just by Frank’s presence. Frank validated Alice in a lot of ways; he validated every feeling that didn’t quite align with what was in place for her, whether it was her exploring a freedom that many people around her didn’t or keeping to herself. She felt like she didn’t have to tick boxes or live up to certain expectations around him. Because of that, in a way, she would protect him with a dying breath, walk into fire with him and never look back. Now, of course, he feels off-kilter to her, and it is utterly nerve-grating. With everything going on she doesn’t necessarily have time to deal with working out the puzzle of what’s wrong with Frank and how do I make it right? and if it weren’t because of how much she loves him (or how long she’s loved him, per se, he’s remained a constant in a time when nothing is guaranteed and there’s somewhat of a reliance on Frank being the anchor in the storm) she’d shift her focus elsewhere. There’s never a good time for her to pick his brain and sift through the issues, which means it continues to get put off. There is a part of Alice that is afraid they’re no longer on the same page and she doesn’t know what she’ll do without him, so she simply doesn’t ask so she doesn’t have to hear the answer she doesn’t want to hear.

After Frank, I’d say that the next incredibly significant relationships Alice has are those with the inner circle. The inner circle is not the Ministry. There is no real structure, no hierarchy of responsibility. The inner circle is a group of people who are supposed to be trying to keep order within the Order all while win a losing-war, and where she may have been gung-ho in the beginning, she’s now internally straddling the fence. The only person she really trusts in the inner circle anymore (and is subsequently the tether keeping her intact with the organization as a whole) is Caradoc. Mary is a finger on the trigger and Alice knows that explosion is inevitable with her, she’s either going to lead Mary down a path that keeps her in a range of safety or wind up as collateral damage. James is just as much of a risk in her eyes. To her, all of the younger members of the Order have the right idea but they certainly don’t go about it in the right way. They’re all ready to kick up the gravel but they don’t see method to their madness, they see no benefit in taking a moment to process before they lurch into action, and to Alice, that’ll be the thing that gets everyone killed. Quite frankly, she doesn’t know how much more blood she can stand to have staining her hands.

Obviously, this is by no means the full extent of ‘relationships’ for Alice - I’m merely just writing what I personally picked up from the connections listed in her bio. As a member of the “inner circle” Alice has a position that puts her into contact with nearly every member of the Order in some way and I’d love to expand and explore other connections where she discovers and aligns to people who are in the same boat as her when it comes to the tone this war has taken and how to go about it (every girl needs a drinking buddy to bitch to) and bumps heads with those who differ or have their issues with her/how the inner circle operates.

OOC EXPLORATION:

SHIPS/ANTI-SHIPS:

I rank chemistry higher than anything, truthfully. The way I look at things is that at the present moment, Alice is married to her work and her alignment on the right-wrong spectrum much more than she really is with Frank, whether she can swallow her pride long enough to choke that out or not. There’s a lot of waist-high angst that Frank and Alice have to explore and work their way through that I’m fully ready to fling myself into, but when it comes to any kind of definitive thing or endgame, I’m leaving myself open for any and all possibilities that come through. The rift between them could close, the rift between them could deepen and drive Alice into isolation (or into the arms of someone else) — it’s something I personally want to save for discussing and developing over time with Frank’s writer. I never join groups or apply for certain characters on the sole precipice for a guaranteed ship, I’m drawn to characters based on the vision and what avenues I can take with them, how I’ll be able to write them into the fold. With Alice, romance is certainly an undeniable element to her character but I don’t think it’s a very prominent shade in her palette considering everything else she’s got going on. I always leave windows open! I’m just more interested in diving in, exploring her, and seeing what colors and shades I can pull out of her when writing against other incredibly talented people.

WHAT PRIVILEGES AND BIASES DOES YOUR CHARACTER HAVE?

To put it rather plainly, Alice doesn’t have much room (if any) to complain when it comes to how she has it. Her family may not be what the Wizarding World would hail next to royalty, but aside from being a woman, she’s got just about every box ticked when it comes to possession of privilege. Pure-blood? Check. Caucasian? Check. Heterosexual? Check. Alice doesn’t expect the world to hand her things on a silver platter but she’s used to drinking out of a silver cup. I like to think that she’s intelligent enough to recognize her privilege and an existence of bias but very rarely does she check it at the door. Alice’s morality and sense of wrong and right is one that I think, given the direction of this group, will be something wildly fun to explore! She’s always consumed with doing “the right thing”, her world is very much black and white, but Alice’s interpretation of “the right thing” may not be what underprivileged people in the magical community consider to be right. When she is called out on behaviors or exhibiting her bias, I want to see to what extent she will recognize her wrongdoing and legitimately grow from it. She knows discriminating against Muggleborns is wrong, but her actions don’t always reflect that (usually an unintentional thing, but nonetheless still indicative). In a way it goes hand-in-hand with her association with her family (they aren’t radicalized like the Death Eaters and they wouldn’t say that Voldemort is right, but the principle of the thing is enough to align them) — Alice may educate herself and think differently, but will she choose to put it into practice instead of just turning a blind eye and grinding down her teeth to keep quiet? She’s the kind who likes to make things right, but is she too selective in what she makes right? What holds her back from speaking up against her family, what will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back (if it comes at all)? It’s something I definitely want to explore as time goes on, and I really would love to perhaps put Alice in a situation where other characters really push her in a corner and make her analyze what she’s doing about her privilege. Acknowledgment is an important step, but action (especially out of the mouth of someone who is impassioned when it comes to aligning things back to a rightful state) is just as important, and not just when it is convenient. That latter component is something Alice does need work on but I think with time, she could find herself steadily improving upon. Let her fuck up be it in a subtle manner or of epic proportion, let her be educated and let her have the opportunity to (maybe) grow from it! After all, if we as human beings are stagnate and refuse growth, are we living at all?

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO?

I’ll be honest, I’m very selective when it comes to Harry Potter groups. I like having some kind of structure within them but also having the liberation to run with my muses, but above all else, I look for the groups who go the extra mile. Whether that’s with plot, originality, or just the sheer dedication admins and members alike pour into their group, I like to think I have an eye for finding the diamonds in the basket. To me, this group is it. I’m a sucker for an AU on anything. The creative freedom, the doors it opens, it entices me and it gives me as a writer to take a chance that I probably wouldn’t otherwise. I also really like groups that walk the balance between external and internal strife, while also allowing their writers the chance to flesh out characters in a different light than canon did. That can be hard for groups to find and walk, but I think you’ve done such a magnificent job in doing such that it’s crazy to not at least try my hand at a muse or two. For Alice in particular, I was drawn to her bio because of the completely different light you’ve angled on her and the garden of opportunity sown. As writers, we sometimes ask things of the characters we breathe our life into and what I love most about Alice is she’s the one who always steps up to the plate, an equal participant in the process. She makes you question your own motives with her character and why you write her in the way you do, she doesn’t conform to one style or one story line, and she demands all of your attention and affection with the glaring reminder you will not tame her or conform her to the basis of another muse or a past portrayal. It is imperative to her character and the development she has the possibility of undergoing — she relies on you as much as you rely on her. At the same time, she is almost an entirely separate being and writes herself (this application for her did anyways) and Alice is an incredible opportunity to deviate from myself, the canon of Harry Potter — or at the very least, the preconceived notions of fandom as to what canon in the Marauders era entails — and just write. I’m looking forward to writing a character far different from anything I could have envisioned for her (as a Slytherin myself, I’m pumped to be writing a fellow Slytherin!) or that I would have predicted taking on and I like a challenge. I’m looking forward to getting to walk in your Potterverse, I’m looking forward to how the future isn’t set and what incredible things can come from it. And of course, I love the things that can be born from war-based settings, whether it’s a plot drop or character tension, and to be on the inside of it as well as watch it unfold is an exciting prospect!

PLOT DROP IDEAS:

Look, I love angst. So much. As if you couldn’t tell. One group-wide plot I think that could be a lot of fun, especially since this is a smaller bunch, is to see what would happen if outside forces wedged their way into the group in an attempt to divide and essentially conquer the Order? I’m not sure where Peter’s storyline will take him, of course, but I think it’d be fun to play out something where there’s a strong cause for suspicion after a mission that one of them has betrayed the group and is working as a double agent, and of course, everyone thinks it’s someone different and results in everyone pointing the blame at everyone and just, a lot of angst, testing these friendships and bonds, seeing who’s ready to sell out who and so forth. This would obviously create a big vulnerability within the group since they don’t trust one another, throw in perhaps the Death Eaters or other Dark forces attacking them out of nowhere…I think it has some potential, it’s just a little idea right now that definitely needs some fleshing out, obviously, but it’s an idea that could be really fun. Another small little plot idea I have is someone in the Order going missing (could be a NPC close to one of the players, or could actually be one of our players) and it’s revealed they’ve been captured, they’ll be exchanged harm-free if our little group hands back over something of importance to the Death Eaters. There’s a time limit involved as well, and if the group doesn’t comply, this person is killed. Of course, segue into conflict, angst, and all the good emotions. Ultimately though, I like waiting and seeing the dynamic of the game and all the other players to really develop group plot ideas? As far as Alice-specific, I am currently planning to play her devoid of child, but dependent upon future discussion with other players (and of course seeing where the course of things take her), I think it’d be fun to see Alice fall pregnant and watch her struggle with that whole Pandora’s box? Would she tell Frank or keep him on the outside? Would it bring her joy or terror? Would she keep the baby or would she choose another route considering the bleak state of things? Just an idea.

ANYTHING ELSE? N/A

#homenumaccepted #bio rpg #bio rp #marauders #alice longbottom

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fangsofsin · 8 years ago

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I'm not sure what to think of Marks new video. The respect one... I kinda agree but I don't either... help! what do u think fang?

(My opinion and feelings are just my opinions and feelings. They may vary from yours and that’s okay. Please talk to me if you have a different thought. Any hate or bashing will be ignored in favor of having a calm and collected adult conversation or debate. I am open to either)

While I’m not sure why everyone issuddenly asking my opinion on these things, I appreciate that youwant to hear whatever the heck I have to say. So I guess I’ll justget on and tell you why I feel Mark had a good idea, but not a goodargument.

Remember back when I made theSeptiplier post and I mentioned that Mark and Jack have goodchemistry but that doesn’t make them best friends or anything? Thesame goes with Mark and Felix. I’m bringing this up right now becauseall damn day – since the video posted – I’ve been seeing peoplesay “Mark’s gonna defend his best friend but as a best friend heshould’ve called Felix out on what he did”…

Where did anyone get the idea thatFelix and Mark are best friends? Again, they work well together andthey like hanging together. But that doesn’t make them best friends.It’s never been established that they’re “best friends”… Again.You can have good chemistry with someone but not be the best offriends. They could be friends. But friend and best friend areactually pretty different meanings.

A friend issomeone you have a casual but still personal enough relationship withthat is based on a common ground. Meaning you both like similarthings or dislike similar things and so you become close throughthose likes and dislikes, but it doesn’t always go past that. As fora best friend, that is a title for someone you have deeperrelationship with that passes the boundaries of simply having similartaste in music or whatever drew you to someone. A friend doesn’t havethat big or deep of a connection to you while your best friend doeshave that deep bonding that can even be considered on the same levelas the one you have to your flesh and blood family (or at someone ofthat love and connection level).

As far as we know,Felix and Mark are on the friend level and that means they havesimilar grounds they walk on, but they’re not super personable anddeep with one another. As far as we know.

Now! Even if theyare best friends, what true friend is going to call out – in frontof a digital platform as huge as Mark’s and Felix’s and YouTube ingeneral – another friend like that?! That would be like finding outyour bff is cheating on her man with another guy and you decide tocall her out and point her out to half the student body during like aclass presidential election or something… WTF? How? Why. What aboutthat is right at all? Because that’s exactly what people aresuggesting! They’re suggesting that Mark should have called out Felixon the platform and left him to be stoned by Mark’s fans… That’snot the kind of community Mark is trying to create or wants.

You don’t throwyour friend under the bus like that if you’re a true friend or even atrue best friend. Even if Felix had given Mark the go ahead to callhim out in front of the entire community, that still wouldn’tbe right as a friend or even as a person.

So that argumentaside, the overall video? Well first off, here. I’m that person and Iwent and fucking wrote down the whole speech as best as I could.

Respect… It’ssomething that I feel has been lost, lately.

I even feellike the definition of respect has been muddied a bit. Because peoplehave a tendency to apply it only to accomplishments that they feelare worthy of praise and admiration.

But I’m talkingabout respect on a basic level. Even if you just boil it down tocommon human decency… Is being lost.

The golden rulestill applies. You still need to treat people the way that you wannabe treated.

And you’reseeing it less and less these days.

Because peoplehave an automatic tendency to assume that if someone is disagreeingwith someone, they are their enemy. And they’re inherently bad. Andthey should be fucked.

But you candisagree with someone and still respect them. You can even hatesomeone. You can hate and abhor their actions. They are doingterrible things and they need to be hated… But you still need totreat them with respect.

And that’shard.

And you mayeven be thinking like “How can you do that? That’s not possible.If they are a terrible person they deserve to be treated unfairly.”

And that’s notthe way I want to live.

We are allhumans.

And either weare all humans that are equal and deserve to be treated as equals, orwe’re not. And I know people are probably going to think I amspeaking too generally about this, so I want to get specific.

I’m talkingabout this because of the frenzy that is surrounding Felix. NotPewDiePie. Felix.

And I wanna bevery clear about something. Felix is not an anti-Semitic and Felixdoes not advocate hate. And I’m not even defending the jokes that hemade because even he has apologized for some of the jokes that hedid.

But he as aperson, as an inherent human being… He’s not these labels.

Because it’s soeasy to label someone. It’s so easy to do. It’s so easy to boilsomeone down to a single word or a phrase and that’s all they are.

Even if you’repraising them. I mean, normally, it’s when you’re demonizing them,but even if you are praising them, even if you’re putting someone ona pedestal or if you’re calling them human scum and trash andgarbage, you’re inherently dehumanizing them in both aspects.

And that’ssomething I will never stand for. Never.

‘Cause I havesaid it a million times, over and over I repeat this all the time. Weas YouTubers are the exact same as you. We’re humans. We’re peoplewandering this world, trying to figure out who we are just the sameas you.

And even thoughsomeone like Felix is being attacked and he’s a lightning rod forhate. Whether or not that’s a fault of his own actions or the societywe live in, that doesn’t mtter to me.

Because what Iam talking about is the most basic human element, the one rule I knowvery deep down, is that we are all equal and deserve to be treatedwith respect.

We’re more thanour labels. I don’t give a fuck what the color of your skin is, Idon’t care what religion you believe you believe in, I don’t carewhere you come from or where you are now. All I care about is who youare and whether or not you are free to be able to discover that.

And I’m notjust even talking about Felix now, I am talking generally.

Cause if we areeven going to be more than we are right now. As a society, as apeople, as a species, as Planet Earth… If we’re ever going to bemore than that, we need to, at the most basic level, respect eachother…

And it’s hard.It’s hard to take the high road. It’s a lonely road. No one wants togo that way, cause it’s so easy to seek vengeance. Or apply the“other rule”; An eye for an eye.

Or labelsomeone as a simple word or phrase just to dismiss them.

And, I know,people are even going to twist my words. People are going to say thatI am defending the wrong people or I’m defending bad people or I’mI-I’m spreading hate indirectly because I support other people.

That’s not theway I see the world. I see each and every one of us, not defined byour race or our creed. But each and every one of us a new opportunityto find ourselves, and in order to defend that, I have to advocatethe treatment of everyone as an equal.

If you don’thave that, what’s going to become of us? What’s gonna happen in fiftyyears when the generations that follow us look back and see thattheir forefathers were too afraid to treat each other with the mostbasic level of respect.

I believe… Ibelieve very firmly… That every single person in the world has theability to do something amazing or terrible. To spread love or hate.

And whether ornot they do one or the other depends on us. Depends on us beingstrong enough to take the high road in the face of the worstadversity.

I have so muchhope for people. I have so much hope for this world and I have somuch hope for what we can do to make it a better place. And that’ssomething I will defend to the death

When it comesto dehumanizing someone or anyone, I won’t stand for that. Because atthe end of the day, there’s going to be people that follow us. Andit’s up to you and me to show them what respect really means.

… now if you read that whole thing, props to you. But let me justsay that I am not trying to twist and rip Mark’s words or hisopinions. I’m sharing my overall opinion on what the man is talkingabout. Now… That said.. It may come off as me twisting them orreading them wrong, but we are – as he said – human and interpretthings different. So this is my interpretation of what I think onwhat he has said.

First off, yes. It’s a good place Mark is trying to come from. He hasa very soft heart and a strong belief and he’s always been verypassionate that way and always shared who he is and what he believes.And that’s always been very admirable and good of him… But Mark hasa flaw.

His thought process is all over the place and he comes off aspassionate rambler.

Mark’s overall message is that we need to take the high road and turnthe other cheek and be the better person and give everyone therespect that we ourselves want from others. And that’s not a badview. It’s very hippy like… But it’s not a bad thing to want frompeople, to advocate for.

But the problem with this, is that Mark talks about things in thisvideo that actually are not things we can just turn the other cheekfrom. I’m sorry. Some of these things are not at a state that we canjust ignore or look away from. At least I personally can not lookaway from them.

I don’t give afuck what the color of your skin is, I don’t care what religion youbelieve you believe in, I don’t care where you come from or where youare now. All I care about is who you are and whether or not you arefree to be able to discover that.

That’s great for you, Mark. But for me, personally, these are aspectsthat make up who I am and who you are. Color is a very deeptopic right now. There’s people out in the world literally fightingfor their lives because of the color of their skin. Black advocatesare fighting because of their skin. People are being gunned down,raped, murdered, and many other terrible things,because of their skintone. Is it right? Fuck no! Do I agree that skin shouldn’t make upsomeone? Yes. But is it still a part of what can make up who you arebecause it can effect what lead you to be who you are.

As a white, blonde hair and blue eyed female I have no experiencedoppresion like a black female of the same age as me has. Have Iexperienced limitations because I’m a female? Yes. But have I beenracially set aside and degraded? No. At least not to my fucking face.Black women and men have. They face police fear every day becausesome jackass in a uniform thinks he can gun down whoever he wantsbecause he’s wearing a blue uniform. This is shit that’s happening topeople and it’s because of their skin and when that happens, you canbet that if I was in that skin, I’d be fearful and have a differentview of things than I do now.

Religion is another thing. People still – still, in 2017 –use religion to advocate what they see as right and are attackedbecause of it. Radical Christians use religion to attack the lgbtqa+community on a daily basis. Muslim women are attacked in subways andon the streets and in stores because of their religion. Jews arestill mocked and ridiculed in media because of their religious – orsupposed actions – actions in the past. Religion is a factor inpeoples lives. It’s something people fight with and for every daybecause you have people attacking them for what they believe is theirGod/Gods/Etc. And that shapes you as a person. Your religion and yourexperiences because of your religions, has an effect on who you are.

Where we come from can determine a lot of things. Come from an areawith an abundance of racial slurs and treatment? It effects you onceyou step outside that area or someone new steps into your life. Yougrew up in poverty and come from a poor neighborhood? That effectshow you view and act in the world. You grew up very privileged?Congrats, you’ve grown up effected and get a kick when you see whatothers don’t have that you always neglect. Come from a country youhad to escape because of war? Again, you’re being developed by thatexperience and what it was like to grow up with a country at war.That matters about who you are now because it lead you to take yourroads.

All these, Mark, are what can make and break us to who we are. Yes.We can escape some one these. Like where we grew up? We can run fromit (or try to anyway). We can run from our religion or even turn ourback on it. That’s something we can do… But it’s still something wedid. Something that’s a part of what lead us to be where we are now.

At least that’s how I’ve always seen things. I grew up with parentsthat had me too young and were always fighting and even recall copscoming to my house to separate them. I was bullied and isolated onthe playground and in my classrooms as a disease because I was “odd”and considered dirty or poor and disgusting for reasons I can’t tothis day pinpoint why and reasons that followed me all the way toeven college. I had a farm to grow up on. I was sheltered from a lotof things and came off as ignorant because of it. My mother didn’thave patience to teach me anything so she would get mad at me and domy homework for me because she thought she was helping me when reallyit fucked me up later in high school and college. I grew up withracist family members and got hit in school because I was nevertaught that calling someone a certain slur – not the n-word butsomething just as bad – was a bad thing and got a black eye andbeat up by a girl because I said that to her. I stole money fromsomeones purse once because I didn’t have money for food and hadn’teaten in two days and was getting sick. I broke down in a churchbecause, even if I’m not that religious, the sermon I was at wasbeautiful and made me realize I was depressed and I had beensuppressing it. I watched a black student get passed over for a partin the play that she would have murdered, because she wasn’t “theright type” and they picked a bubble gum barbie white girl for therole.

These are things in my past. These are things that my color, where Icame from, and what my mild religious belief, have done that matterto me now. Stealing that money made me learn to better respect everyvalue of a dollar I have. Getting beat down and seeing that blackstudent get passed over made me respect that the POC communityhandles so much shit and they are fed up with it and they have aright to be punching back. Being sheltered came back and got mebullied more than what I was by the time I hit middle school.

So I don’t like when someone says anything like what was said.Because while that shit shouldn’t matter, it does. It makes up a partof you. And every part of you means something important and tellsyour story. Just like the scars you get, these are the scars andmarkings on your inner self that make you who you are and to just say“I don’t fucking care about that shit” is – to me –like saying you don’t give a fuck about me.

Now I’m sure he was talking about the content of your personality.But even still, your personality is based around what you have takenfrom these aspects of yourself. My religious or lack of have shapedparts of how I act. My being bullied has made me not want to ever bea bully and to fight anyone who tries to bully me or people I careabout. My racial stupidity choices have made me want to be a bettersupporter and to make myself learn and be educated as a bettersupport for the POC community. Where I grew up has made me see partsof what I want to be and want to not be and why I pushed myself tomove out to California; to be here and gain a new aspect of mypersonality to grow with the one I have or make it better.

Now maybe I’m twisting the words to harshly. But the moment he saidthat, I frowned and this – above – is what came to mind. It’swhat I see. And again, I could be just jumping conclusions and I cantake a breather and realize that he could’ve meant something entirelydifferent.

But that’s what I mean when I say Mark gets a bit scattered. Some ofthe stuff he says… When you’re someone who has a large communitylike him or Felix or any of the big YouTubers, your actions and wordsand views do get analyzed. You’re not some random on the street.You’re a face and a voice for a platform and so your words matter.Your actions matter. And they get heard. And like I said, everyonehas an opinion and can hear the same sentence I heard and read itcompletely different.

It’s like that old saying that if you put someone of every religiousbelief in a circle in a room and you hand them a Holy Bible and makethem read it, they’re all going to interpret it one way or anotherand the debate about it could last for years. It’s that same concept.What they write and say does do something and does have power.

This statement kind of threw me off… And I see it did to a lot ofpeople.

If someone is indeed “the scum of the earth” - words Mark used –and they’re doing things from child pornography, rape, murdering, andall of the above… I will not respect them. I will not respect menwho beat on women or women who beat on men. I will not respectsomeone who defiles an innocent toddler for their satisfaction. Iwill not respect someone who murdered someone in cold blood. I willnot respect those that spit and piss on the memory of blacks or Jewsor any race or religion that was wiped out because of simply whatthey are or what they were born as. I will not.

Mark’s message is a good thought in simplistic form. And he says thebasic form of respect is what he’s talking about… But does he notknow what the basic definition of respect is?

Respect, according to the dictionary, is “a feeling of deepadmiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities,qualities, or achievements” (noun). Abilities are somethingyou can naturally do at will. (Ex: “I have the ability to roll mytongue”). They are things you are born with. This is often confusedwith talent, which can be learned while a natural ability can notalways be

Qualities – or quality – is defined as “a distinctive attributeor characteristic possessed by someone or something” (Ex: “He hasthe qualities that one would give a strong leader”). Your qualitiescan be learned and taught from your past experiences and from yourown research. Which, again, goes back to your past and where you comefrom and what you do with that.

And achievements is “a thing done successfully, typically byeffort, courage, or skill”. (Ex: “To reach this stage in lifeis a great achievement”). An achievement is technically part of thebasic element of respect. To say people focus on just achievements istrue, but to say you’re talking about just the basic element ofrespect means you’re still talking about your achievements…

To give someone respect is to give them a kindness of sort. When yourespect someone, you see their achievements and qualities andabilities as something to look up to or something you yourself wantto work towards becoming. Like I respect my friend Katie becauseshe’s a strong person, she’s achieved so much with what little she’shad to work with, and she’s got this natural ability (or talent ifyou want to be technical) to adapt to life as it is thrown at her. Igive her respect also because she’s a good person to me and others.

Now what about people that I don’t even know? Well I respect Beyoncefor all the hard work she’s done, all the fighting for POC sheadvocates, and for just being a strong person on stage and off andnot taking shit from no one… Now do I know Beyonce personally? Ofcourse not (I fucking wish though!). But right now, as I see her, Irespect her… Now if I met Beyonce and she turned out to be superrude, fake, or super negative… That’ll effect my respect for her. Ican still respect how hard she works and what she’s done. But as aperson, that aspect changes. As a person, I would start to see her asrude or ungrateful or even appalling.

A person’s actions and deeds can be worth of respect. But if a personis a complete and total appalling jackass of an existing amount offlesh, then that changes things. So maybe I get what Mark is sayingin that sense. That someone could have done all these important andadmirable and amazing things for society or I general, but in personthey’re just the nastiest human being on the planet… Then yeah. Ican see where respect even when you hate them as a person can comefrom.

But to give respect to those that have no qualities or achievementsor abilities that benefit society or even another person and beingcompletely hideous as a person and does despicable actions likementioned above (rape, molestation, assaulting, etc), is notsomething I as an individual can be on board with. Because it justplain makes me wanna scrub my skin off to look at someone who doesterrible deeds and treats others and animals with such abhorringnature, and be told I have to respect them because you’re supposed torespect everyone… No.

I was raised to respect those that treat me with respect. I wastaught that to get respect you have to earn respect. If I want peopleto respect me, I have to respect who people are and who they were andcan become. The same goes for people towards me. That is how I wasraised. That is what I believe. I give everyone around me respectuntil you give me a reason not to. So if someone doesn’t give me areason not to, then we’re good. I will respect you and I hope you cantreat me with the same grain of existence.

This was my problem with Mark’s speech. It seemed so contradicting.The overall message – and yes I’m using his words – as a basic,is a good one. But it doesn’t eliminate that everyone reads intothings differently and acts towards things differently. And yes hementioned people would twist his words and maybe I am doing justthat. Do I feel like I am? No. But it’s a high possibility I’mtwisting what he’s saying and for that I am sorry but I will believewhat I believe.

Now. All that being said, I agree with Mark on many things as well. Ibelieve to dehumanize someone – at least to do so without a trulylegit reason – is disgusting and not what we should ever do tosomeone. I stand with the belief that Felix is not anti-Semitic andthat he’s not trying to spread hate. I believe we are more thanlabels and that labels just complicate things in the long run but Ialso know labels are around to try and make things easier to box usall in to categories and we as humans are not meant to be generalizedto one category. And I believe that every person as an individual inthis world, does have the ability to do something amazing or terriblethat can effect humanity. And I have hope that yes, one day, theworld can be a better place than it is right now.

But that day is not today. Someday, maybe. But it’s not right now.And we can’t ignore that right now things are the way they are for areason.

P,ease don’t take this as me hating on the man. I in no way hate him or even think he’s wrong. I just feel strongly about some things he said… It’s like he mentioned. You can disagree with someone without hating them. I don’t hate him. I just am not on the full boat he’s sailing.

#markiplier #pewdiepie #opinion #respect #markiplier video #ask

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