#and thus sometimes is credited with both) but he's playing a great character‚ a fleet street wonder that Quatermass brings in to try

[mariocki]

A young Roger Delgado works to expose an otherworldly conspiracy, as newspaper columnist Hugh Conrad in Quatermass II: The Coming (1.4, BBC, 1955)

[tealeaves-rp]

Mod Sample Application for Narcissa Black

II. CHARACTER STATS:

NAME: Narcissa “Cissy” Elizabeth Black BIRTHDATE/AGE: November 24, aged 22 years

GENDER IDENTITY & PRONOUNS: cis-female; she/her pronouns

WAND: 

Ebony, Dragon Heartstring, nine and a half inches. Many old, upper class families like the Blacks keep a wand or two around the house (no where that people might see them, of course!) just in case – because most old, upper class families like the Blacks have produced a wix or two over the years, even if most of those cases were hushed-up so well that even immediate relatives might not know about it. But there are usually one or two tucked away in an attic, or locked in an old cupboard, or buried in the back of mother’s dressing table…and for most of her life, that was all the wand that Narcissa ever thought to need. It was enough to practice with; enough with which to play around with her magic and her sisters. (Sometimes they would even take one with them when they went out on their illicit activities; some neighborhoods feel a lot safer when you have a few tricks up your sleeve.) It wasn’t until she got involved in the wix rights movement that Narcissa decided she wanted a wand all her own…and she knew just where to get one, too: Ollivander’s Instruments. The old man who ran the shoppe was a burr in everyone’s sides, both in the movement and outside it, but two things were certain: he knew his craft and he never, ever revealed a customer. Knowing that her secret would be safe with old Ollivander, Narcissa gritted her teeth and listened to his lecture about wandcraft…and then, because she knew she always deserved the best, she let him talk her into buying a “proper” wand – even though she’s pretty sure that Ollivander is full of it and the only difference between a secondhand wand and a “tailored” wand is the price tag! Still, she has to admit that this one does feel a little nicer in her hand than the old sticks the family keeps tucked away for emergencies…but that’s probably just because it was more recently polished and she is so very fond of pretty things!

III. DESIRED CHANGES (if none, leave blank):

IV. CHARACTERIZATION DETAILS:

SOCIAL POSITION: 

An idle heiress of the upper class, Narcissa comes from wealth and privilege and comfort. Her family has enough money and influence that she rarely has to face real consequences for anything. As the youngest sister, she has less personal clout than either Bellatrix or Andromeda – but as the sole unmarried daughter of the Black family (now that her cousin has so tragically vanished) she holds a great deal of potential interest to the world, especially to anyone with a child of suitable age and status…and a tolerance for “exotic” beauties (and oh, she’s heard some interesting compliments due to that “exoticness” – but it wasn’t until she started venturing outside the comfortable confines of her sheltered social sphere that she understood there could be malice behind those backhanded compliments, because people who aren’t impressed by her last name and the associated bank accounts don’t hold back in expressing themselves) but these days that’s just about everyone of note – particularly when said beauty comes with an attachment to as lucrative a company as Tibicena Shipping to weight their social scales.

EDUCATION: 

Tutors were hired for them, of course. Delicate (well…ostensibly delicate) young ladies such as Narcissa, Andromeda, and Bellatrix could not be sent away to school…but they were taught important things like fashion, grammar, comportment, posture, arithmetic, dance, and even a smattering of literature and history (largely according to their own inclinations), and in Narcissa’s case at least, the harpsichord. It was a rather standard education for girls of their class…except for the addition of a few private magic lessons. Contrary to the way many upper class families react to the idea of wixen children, Narcissa was never made to feel ashamed of her gifts; in fact she was chosen for them. (She was still taught the importance of hiding them, of course; her parents weren’t idiots and there’s a wide line between drawing entertainment from social taboos and committing social suicide!) Druella thought it would be charming to have wixen daughters and she adopted them from Hogwarts Orphanage with that exact plan in mind; as such, Cissy and her sisters actually received a bit of proper (and properly discrete) schooling in their magic…which mainly consisted of their mother hiring them a Tea Maven to teach them the basics, a wand-tutor to show them a few party tricks, and encouragement to practice little bits of illusion or performative magic with one another so that she could have them put on little shows for those friends who could be trusted both to keep their mouth shut about magic and to enjoy a bit of wixen frippery after a dinner party. That wasn’t all the sisters learned, of course…because they were curious, troublesome girls (especially Bella) and it was little hardship for one sister to lead the others into areas of bad influence, like reading old books about hexes, or giggling together over poison recipes and hair tonics, or even practicing the odd little jinx on one another – but that wasn’t part of their proper education; that was just girls being girls… NOTE: I am happy to adjust this as needed to mesh with any contradictory backgrounds put forth by an Andromeda player!

DAILY GRIND: 

As an heiress, Narcissa has no need for a job – but she does have certain duties inherent to that position. To whit, she must have the family’s best interests (business and social) in mind at all times; for her, socializing is a responsibility not a lark. The seemingly-frivolous round of visits and parties, the demands of fashion, the constant flow of rumors and gossip; all those things are in fact serious matters on which the family fortune and future might well depend. True, no one is going to give Tibicena Shipping a contract to carry goods just because the owner of a certain factory liked the way Narcissa wore her hat on Tuesday…but the right exchange of compliments can start the connection that eventually leads to such a contract. That’s how business gets done more often than not, and Narcissa knows her role in that business. She was brought-up to “cultivate influential relationships” more than to make friends; fortunately as a gregarious (and nosy) child she always enjoyed that duty and was a credit to her mother’s training…until recently. Now while Cissy still does her part to chatter amiably over a pot of tea or around a drawing room table, she also engages in louder and more vulgar activities: namely, political activism. Her “cause célèbre” is wixen rights – a cause near-and-dear to her heart, because she and her sisters are all wix themselves, although that is a detail she has not seen fit to share even with her new allies; it would be a scandal of enormous proportions were the story to come out, and Cissy might be a bit radical but she isn’t stupid. She knows where to draw the lines of propriety…and when to stick her toe over that line and cause a scene.

THE TEA: 

The Traditional Blend: once Narcissa’s customary drink, this combination of earl grey, lavender, wigentree bark, and vanilla with a sprig of vervain is a fortifying or restorative blend and is at its most effective when drunk straight, but was usually consumed with some cream or milk and sugar for sweetening. The family considered it a good afternoon tea, to restore one’s energy from the trials of the morning and to fortify them for the evening’s efforts…but when brewed properly (especially with a wix at the kettle) in addition to its strengthening properties it also casts a mild protective and purifying charm on the drinker. It is considered an integral drink before any serious business ventures – and before any stressful and important social situations.

The New Fad: after being introduced to the basics of this blend by her new political friends, Narcissa has adopted it as her favored drink – after a little tinkering to improve its effects. This Fukamushi Sencha green tea is supplemented with honey, cinnamon, and raw ginger for a spicy, invigorating burst of energy and warmth. The puffapod petals add an extra dose of vigor to the drink, and Narcissa is convinced that they furthermore have a preservative effect on one’s youth (although that may just be wishful thinking). Her mother thinks it is too spicy, exotic, and vulgar a tea to serve to polite (especially older and conservative) company – but that doesn’t always stop Narcissa from pouring it, especially when she wants to broaden tiny minds or make a particularly sharp point. As for her outside social activities, for protests on cold days she likes to bring along an insulated thermos or three to share with her fellow revolutionaries…and as of now, they tend to be few enough in number that this provides plenty for all to share.

GOALS: 

ONE: Narcissa at this point is young, romantic, and idealistic; I thus think that it would be quite entertaining to throw her in and out of several crushes (despite my usual low interest in shipping). Overdramatic, fleeting, rose-colored, and frivolous, her romantic follies ought to be amusing for all to watch. The fact that there is (as of yet) no Lucius in this game also makes that a particularly interesting prospect because her “usual ship” is completely absent. “Lucissa” is one of the few ships in Potterverse that I actually care about, true – but exploring entirely disparate possibilities, particularly in such a non-canon world as this, sounds like quite a lot of fun, especially with a flighty Narcissa like this. TWO: The driving goal in Narcissa’s life, of course, is wix rights – although she’s hardly an expert in the field of political activity. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t think she knows exactly what she’s doing (she is a Black, of course!) and that she expects that, now that she is involved, it will all be resolved quite promptly (unlikely) and without much difficulty (likewise unlikely). This should offer lots of entertaining possibilities, from the judicially comedic as Cissy brushes up against the law from her privileged and insulated position to the personally awkward as she tries both to further the cause among her social circle and to integrate herself among the lower classes who, if she is lucky, will find her more charming than condescending. (Maybe 50/50 odds on that one.)

V. CHARACTER  INTRODUCTION:

Narcissa leaned over for one last glimpse in the mirror, checking for stray curls (none, of course) and smoothing her skirts (unnecessarily) before she headed into the drawing room in a rustle of coral silks and cream colored ribbons. “Good afternoon mum, auntie,” she gushed, gracing both of them with a beaming smile as she bustled over to the tea set. The neat heels of her white leather boots clicked sharply on the floor, sounding loud against the silence. From the flow of ice wedged between the settee on which Walburga Black was perched and the armchair on which Druella Black was sitting, frosting the warm afternoon sunlight, Cissy could tell that their conversation had been going just about as well as it usually did whenever the subject of Tribicena Shipping was addressed by the family matriarchs. Pretending that she had noticed nothing, Narcissa spooned out a pile of rich black leaves into the strainer and filled the teapot with the hot water simmering in its kettle over the fireplace. She added a finger-pinch of flower petals and turned the tea timer for three and a half minutes of steeping time, then settled herself–delicately spreading her skirts over her knees so as not to rumple them–on the side couch. “It’s been lovely weather this week, hasn’t it? I hope it holds for this Friday–” Her mother’s stiff shoulders went stiffer and her head shot up, her black eyes flashing as they fastened on Narcissa’s. Druella’s lips went so thin they nearly vanished into her face and she shook her head back and forth, three minute little twitches, the warning clear. Narcissa looked back at her with a cheery smile then turned and looked straight at her aunt, hardly pausing at her mother’s wordless reprimand before saying, “We have a little rally Friday afternoon, you know, and it’ll be much nicer if the weather is clear for it.” Walburga’s face settled into a heavy frown, but her usual determined avoidance of all conversation related to Narcissa’s political activities took a backseat to her desire to needle Druella, so instead of changing the subject she said, “A rally?” Narcissa’s smile widened in direct contrast to her mother’s tightening frown and she said brightly, “Oh yes! Right outside the Old Bailey, so it’ll be delightfully visible.” She paused to pour the first cup of tea, handing it to her aunt as was polite, her being the guest; she turned back and added breezily, “I think that will make a lovely backdrop for all the photographs.” “Photographs?” Walburga asked, teacup stopped halfway to her lips. Narcissa fluttered her eyelashes while her mother silently steamed in the corner. “Oh yes,” she said, “there ought to be loads, since I’ve telegraphed all the papers!” Walburga choked on her tea. Narcissa beamed. “Sugar?” she asked.

VI. MUN BACKGROUND QUESTIONS:

What is your ideal game?

I tend to prefer canon-heavy divergence AUs, Trio slightly more than Marauders, especially those with a darker or more serious sort of drama – so this is not my usual “cup of tea” so to speak (I’m sorry) and I am thus looking forward to trying something outside my usual milieu.

What is your least favorite part of this game?

This isn’t so much a complaint and it’s rather off topic, but I think it would be very interesting to see a setting like this applied to a Trio Era Game particularly since AUs like this appear so rarely in Trio.

I chose this character because… 

I love the Malfoys and I love rebels. Put those two together into one, and you’ve got a perfect character for me: absurd, stubborn, ignorant, clever, confident, shallow, melodramatic, dangerous, idealistic, and utterly ridiculous.