#trenton rosier

[devilssnarerp]

Trenton has always been the most serious of the three boys in his family, evident even at birth. By the time he was nine he had mostly outgrown the imaginary friends, belly laughs, and wild abandon of kids his age; when he played it was to win, the only real exception being with his best friend. His loyalty to those who earn it is unbreakable, especially to his family, but he is not so easily won over. Taking after his father, he has never been a very trusting person, though as with his loyalty if someone puts in enough work he may eventually let them in. For the most part however, he tries to play things close to the vest; Trenton is a firm believer in not putting too many eggs in one basket, not even his best friend knows all of his secrets. Growing up surrounded by blood purists had the desired effect on Trenton. Both his parents were firm believers in a new order where muggles no longer had any power over wizards, no more hiding their abilities behind closed doors. All of their friends, with whom Trenton spent most weekends and even some evenings after work and lessons, believed the same. Their kids, his friends, even his brothers believed it. There wasn’t a chance he would be allowed to grow up thinking anything else, and Trenton did not disappoint. Deep down he is uncertain why he thinks purity is the most important thing about wizards, but at this point the feeling of dislike has become too ingrained into his personality for him to question it without dismantling his entire belief system.

Long before Trenton Rosier was even a thought, his grandparents were devout supporters of the Dark Lord. During his first reign, Trenton’s grandfather was killed by aurors, leaving his young children alone with only their mother, who was forced into hiding on the mainland for many years. The kids grew up hearing many stories about how their heroic father went down fighting for the cause, rather than quietly giving himself up to the Ministry like a coward. They idolized him, and while they may have missed him dearly and wished he could have watched them grow up, none of the children had anything but respect for their father. Many years later, around the turn of the century, Marcus Rosier married a pureblooded woman whose family was close with his, and returned to the UK, just as his father would have wanted - it was a union of strategy rather than love, but it didn’t hurt that his new bride was the sole heir to a rather large estate and fortune. Not long after their marriage came the birth of their first son, Braden, and only a year later came a second, Logan. It was at that point Marcus’s tolerance of muggle oppression hit an all-time low, and he began organizing meetings with some of his closest friends to discuss the future of wizardkind. Under the pretense of being a social group, Marcus’s followers began to grow. He was very cautious only to discuss such important matters with those he knew could be trusted, and every person took time to vet before they were granted insider information. The process was slow-going, but Marcus felt that secrecy was the key to their success - the Death Eaters had lacked a certain subtlety and in the end he felt that had been the reason for their failure. He was determined to succeed where Voldemort had not. Four years after the birth of his second son came a third: Trenton. He was a strange baby from the start, and for a long while his mother feared he was ill or even mentally unbalanced; he rarely cried, laughed only for his brothers and the Nott baby who was close in age, and seemed generally uninterested in the typical toys of infants. Even as a child he seemed serious and attentive, his gaze seemingly intensely set on whatever he happened to be looking at. For months his mother refused to let him out of her sight for longer than ten minutes at a time, concerned with his abnormal behavior. As time went on and young Trenton seemed to relax, his mother grew less and less attached, exhausted from watching him so intently and constantly for so long a time. By the time he turned one, Trenton’s demeanor had changed enough that no one who met him would be able to guess the troubling start to life he had. Just before his second birthday, a ghastly rumor spread throughout Marcus’s group of purists. One of the members, assigned the duty of vetting foreign contacts in the hopes of beginning an international movement, was expecting a new baby, and there were many whispers that the timeline didn’t add up. Devoted servant to the cause, the man had been out of the country during the time the baby would have been conceived; when the girl was born her mother insisted premature labor, but many still had their doubts. She was a very attractive woman, and while at the time they had interpreted it as devotion, she had been spending a considerable amount of time with a man who was not her husband.. Marcus did his best to silence the whisperers, knowing full well the child was his. He had never truly loved his wife just as she had never truly loved him, and though she now turned her back on him save for social events, the only regret he felt was for the indiscretion had begat a halfblood child. Their sham of a marriage did not last much longer however, for the woman had long grown tired of pretending to love a man whose presence she loathed, and the insult of his affair was enough to give her the courage she needed. Homesick for her family, she divorced her husband and left their three sons in his care to return to the mainland just after Trenton’s seventh birthday. While they write each other fairly regularly, Trenton has not seen his mother in person in many years. Marcus did his best to be a strong figure his sons could follow as they grew, the way his father had been for him. Unfortunately, as he had spent most of his life not knowing his father but through the stories told by his mother, Marcus had very little idea of how to behave around his boys. Talking with them was challenging enough for him, but to be a parent? He didn’t have the slightest clue where to start. And so Trenton and his brothers grew up admiring their father, the figurehead of the Purity movement and a strong head of their household, but not really knowing the man on a very personal level. Nannies were the people who raised the Rosier boys after their mother left, and though their father did his best to parent when he knew how, Trenton may as well have been orphaned. His father took him to quidditch matches but never threw a quaffle around with him at home, bought him his own owl but rarely sent him anything. Still, having inherited so much of his father’s serious demeanor, Trenton did not mind this lack of affection as much as his brothers. There were no hugs or I love you’s, only claps on the shoulder for making the quidditch team and respectfully inclined heads for getting full marks in Transfiguration, and Trenton learned early on that the only opinion of any real importance was his own. Trenton did not cry as many first years did when they boarded the train to Hogwarts. That being said, he knew he would miss his father greatly and, not wanting to show any weakness in front of his father, when he stepped onto the train he did not look back to wave one last goodbye. Had he done so he might have seen the sadness in his father’s eyes, possibly the first real sign of delicate emotion the man had let show in a long time. Trenton was mildly excited for his new school, though having heard so much about it from his brothers it was not half the mystery to him that it was to most others. He and Zane spent the entire train ride playing exploding snap and eating as much candy from the trolly as they could possibly fit in their stomachs; what they could not finish, they stored in their trunks for later that night. After all, it was Trenton’s birthday, and he deserved some type of celebration. The Sorting Hat debated for far too long in Trenton’s opinion, before deciding to put him in Slytherin. According to it, he had potential in any of the four houses, and in fact it tried changed its mind many times before finally placing him in the house of the serpent, though its reasons had been unclear. It mentioned something about his mind being too full of other voices for him to know what is right for him, and that “Slytherins will help clear that up in no time.” To this day he hasn’t any idea what the Hat may have meant. Regardless, he joined Zane at the table decorated in green and silver, never to question its decision.

(I.)  Zannon Warrington has been Trenton’s best friend for longer than he can remember - the way his brothers tell it, the two have shared a fondness and playful rivalry since their diaper days. Truth be told, Trent loves Zane every bit as much as his own family members and would die for his friend without a second thought. As serious as Trent is, Zane is his polar opposite, balancing Trent out with his endless sarcasm and jokes. He frequently forces Trent to step outside his comfort zone and relax, and though he’d deny it ‘til the end, Trenton loves him for it; the majority of his happiest memories only happened because of the boy he’s come to see as his third and closest brother.

(II.)  As a student Trenton isn’t top of the class, but he’s no slacker either. Some subjects, such as Transfiguration, are easy for him, while others like Divination and Potions are more of a struggle. He sees no merit in relying on soggy tea leaves or a ball full of mist to predict his future, and following potions directions to a tee is something he has to really focus on to get right. It was thanks to his poor Divination performance that he reconnected with Anastasia Zabini, the daughter of one of his father’s old friends and the future love of his life. Since becoming close with her Trenton has gotten better at hiding his loathing for Divination, but he still believes it to be an obsolete subject.

(III.)  After divorcing his father and leaving her family, Trenton did not hear from his mother for years. In fact, his first letter from her did not arrive until a week before he left for Hogwarts. She explained that she still loved him and wanted what was best for him, but her life had been chosen for her and she couldn’t allow that to continue any longer. Her letter said she feared Trenton may one day be faced with the same situation, the way his father was pursuing his cause no matter the consequences; she didn’t want Trenton and his brothers to get sucked into the battle out of loyalty to their father, and invited him to come live with her. It wasn’t until that point that Trenton realized just how angry he was with his mother for being so selfish as to leave her own flesh and blood, young children no less, and not even have the decency to write until four years later. He tore up the letter and pitched it. It was another two years before Trenton decided to write her back, and the two have slowly built up their relationship since. Now the two correspond about every two or three weeks, but Trenton will never be able to fully trust her.

(IV.)  Trent’s long-time closeness with Kiri Camden eventually earned him her trust, and around Christmas of his sixth year she confided in him that her mother had been involved in an affair long ago and the man she had believed to be her father wasn’t actually related to her. This thought lingered in the back of his mind for a while, nudging at some old rumors he’d heard of his own father’s infidelity around that same time. With the help of his brothers and best friend, Trent discovered that his friend’s deceased mother had run in the same circle as his father back in the day, and the two had been very close indeed. In a moment of bravery he wasn’t quite sure how he mustered, Trent asked his father for the truth and the man confirmed it, though insisted Trent was not to breathe a word to anyone, as the woman had been a halfblood and therefore impure by Rosier standards. Trent, who has long-since grown to love Kiri like the little sister he never had, has absolutely no idea how to tell her that they really are related - especially since the thing Kiri wants more than anything is a family, and their father wants nothing to do with her.

[foursproutwealth-blog]

"This Is Madness": New Jersey Raises Expected Pension Fund Return To 7.5%

New Post has been published on http://foursprout.com/wealth/this-is-madness-new-jersey-raises-expected-pension-fund-return-to-7-5/

"This Is Madness": New Jersey Raises Expected Pension Fund Return To 7.5%

Last weekend, in our latest report on the unsustainable US public pension system, we quoted  Steve Westly, the former California controller and Calpers board member who made a stunning admission  about the largest public pension fund in the US, i.e. California Public Employees Retirement System (oddly, his tweet has since been deleted):

“The pension crisis is inching closer by the day. @CalPERS just voted to increase the amount cities must pay to the agency. Cities point to possible insolvency if payments keep rising but CalPERS is near insolvency itself. It may be reform or bailout soon.”

The “admission” will not come as a surprise to readers who have followed our series on US public pensions (more recently here, here, here, here, and here) and who are aware that one of the key reasons behind the systematic underfunding of US public pension funds has been the chronic optimism that they can continue to generate outsized investment returns.

Recall that it was only in December 2016 that Calpers voted to lower its earnings projection to 7.0% – it had been 7.5% – hoping to avoid another disaster were the economy to turn sour. Prior to 2016, the last time Calpers lowered its investment expectation was in 2012 when the rate dropped from 7.75% to 7.5%

So while the Sacramento-based CalPERS may be on the verge of insolvency, it is at least taking baby steps to admit it has a problem and to address the “new normal” reality of far lower projected returns (as a reminder, just last month the San Fran Fed concluded  that “that the current price-to-earnings ratio predicts approximately zero growth in real equity prices over the next 10 years“).

Meanwhile, to the shock and dismay of muni and pension analysts everywhere, Calpers’ peer over in Trenton stunned many last week when it decided to go the other direction: on Thursday New Jersey’s acting state treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muolo said that she will increase the expected rate of return for the state’s struggling public pension system which manages over $76 billion in assets, from 7% to 7.5%, “then lower it again over time” in hopes that the recent market surge persists indefinitely into the future and quietly wipes away some of the state’s massive underfunding.

Elizabeth Maher Muoio, New Jersey’s acting treasurer.

The announcement prompted Bloomberg’s Muni expert Joe Mysak to simply exclaim that “this is madness.“

@JoeMysak just commented on this on @bloombergradio: “This is madness.”

— Lisa Abramowicz (@lisaabramowicz1) March 2, 2018

The accounting switch to a higher assumed rate means that the state, and participating local governments in New Jersey, will for now escape the higher costs that arise when investment return assumptions are lowered.

This accounting sleight of hand comes at a “fortuitous time” for new New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, who took office in January and is facing a major funding shortfall ahead of his first budget proposal in mid-March.

The higher rate – based on nothing but the Treasurer’s sheer optimism – will save about $238 million for the state and more than $400 million for local governments in the near term, according to Reuters. Of course, in reality it won’t “save anything”, and will merely defer the moment when the state’s pension fund finally has to admit that its participants are either looking at a massive haircut, or state taxpayers will have to bail it out.

State Sen. Anthony R. Bucco, R-Boonton Township, blasted Muoio’s pension change, noting that the Christie administration’s moves to lower the assumed rate of return to 7% in steps from a high of 8.25% was praised by actuaries and ratings agencies. He said “rosier assumptions” would result in lower required payments into the pension funds.

“Our pension funds got into bad shape by making overly optimistic projections on the rate of return that we could expect,” said Bucco in a statement. “We need to stay the course and keep making the biggest pension payments that we can.”

New Jersey’s heavy pension burden has weighed heavily on the state, playing a major role in 11 rating downgrades from 2010 to 2017. The Garden State has general obligation bond ratings of A3 from Moody’s Investors Service, A-minus from S&P Global Ratings and A from Fitch Ratings and Kroll Bond Rating Agency.

According to Bond Buyer, Moody’s analyst Tom Aaron said that the revised assumptions are a “a relative credit negative” for New Jersey because they are higher than other large public pension funds. Aaron said Moody’s generally views the lowering of pension fund investment return assumptions as a credit positive for the sponsoring government.

“Lower return assumptions tend to force more contributions by governments, and sooner,” said Aaron. “While initially more expensive, front-loaded contributions mean less long-term risk that unaffordable unfunded liabilities will accumulate.”

Meanwhile, as New Jersey is bucking the trend adopted by virtually all other states who like Calpers are gradually reducing their expected returns, in the process raising the amount of capital that has to be raised by “other means” to satisfy pension promises, the Pew Charitable Trusts’ public sector retirement systems project found that investment returns that fell short of assumptions were the biggest contributor to worsening financial positions of the pension plans studied.

Furthermore, Pew found that New Jersey has the worst pension funding level of the 50 U.S. states at only 37% for the 2015 fiscal year.

Ultimately, Jersey is simply hoping that the recent market euphoria will persist: while Muoio is moving New Jersey’s rate up beginning in fiscal 2019, her plan will then step down the rate over the following five years, falling back to 7% in fiscal 2023.

The change took place just month after former Treasurer Ford Scudder cut the pension funds’ rate of return to 7% from 7.65% in November, but Muoio – who was appointed by Chris Christie’s replacement Phil Murphy – said that move was too drastic and would saddle local governments with heavy additional costs.

Instead, the logic supposedly goes, it’s best to pretend there is no problem and just hope the central banks can keep pushing stocks higher indefinitely: “A gradual path to a lower rate will help mitigate the undue stress that would otherwise have been placed on local governments,” Muoio said.

And who knows: maybe they can pull it off. New Jersey’s five main pension funds, which as noted above were responsible for nearly $76 billion in pensions, performed well in fiscal 2017, returning 13.07% according to a February report from the state investment council. Unfortunately, that strong performance followed 2016, when the funds lost nearly 1 percent net of fees. The funds’ 20-year annualized return was 6.79 percent.

But here’s the bad news: even if the fund manages to return 7.5% for the next 4 years, Jersey pensioners are still out of luck: according to the state Treasury’s annual report, the pension system’s total funded ratio is a shocking 49%. Indicatively, a ratio of at least 80% is often considered healthy.

Meanwhile, New Jersey state workers are realistically looking at a “half-off” haircut on the post-retirement income that was promised to them.

One wonders if when this latest act of desperation fails, whether the final Hail (or rather fail) Mary for the various members of America’s insolvent pension system will be to put all their cash in cryptocurrencies and pray…

[devilssnarerp]

Congratulations KIRSTIN! You have been accepted as Anastasia Zabini. Please go through the checklist and send in your account within 24 hours. If you need more time, make sure you send a message to the main.

Anastasia is our first Ravenclaw, and I can’t wait to have her with us! The fact that she’s a Zabini is even more exciting since the family name is so prominent. I can’t wait to see how Anastasia changes over her seventh year, and to see how she develops over the coming months.. Welcome to Devil’s Snare!

OOC INFO -- About the Player

Name & Age:

Kirstin, 21

Preferred Pronouns:

She/Her

Timezone & Activity Level:

PST

Anything Else:

No

IC INFORMATION

Character Name:

Anastasia Loretta Zabini

Age & Year:

Seventh, Seventh Year

Birthday:

April 16th

Birthplace:

Falmouth, UK

Blood Status:

Pureblood

House:

Ravenclaw

Face Claim:

Logan Browning

Personality:

Anastasia was raised a proper young lady, the perfect muggle debutante but with the bonus of being born with the gift of magic. Her mother got lucky: Ana’s quiet and calm predisposition made for an easy child to be molded. Training gave her poise when she walked and grace when she danced, but only luck in the genetic lottery gave her the natural charisma that draws people in and puts them at ease. She does everything she can to never let on about her intense fear of vexing anyone she cares about, undoubtedly stemming from a mild case of anxiety she has kept secret since childhood. An excellent work ethic almost got her placed in Hufflepuff, but Anastasia’s thirst for knowledge, to prove herself, and to make some small impact on the world convinced the Hat she was destined to be a Ravenclaw. She has never been shy, but tries to keep her head down in groups as her mother taught her a good girl should. The etiquette classes she took all throughout her childhood have stuck firmly in her mind, and it’s a very rare and concerning day when Anastasia doesn’t say please and thank you or slurps her soup at dinner.

Biography:

From birth, Anastasia Zabini was a very loved girl. Her dotting mother hosted numerous little get-togethers so all of her friends could see just what a beautiful baby she was, took the infant to every park in town so strangers could look on in envy, and bought the little girl every pretty dress she laid eyes on to accentuate the infant’s darling little features. However as the little Anastasia grew from a petite child to a young lady, her father’s affection grew less and less. He was so stressed and busy with work all the time, when he came home all he would do was sit down with the news and drink his whiskey. Anastasia tried everything to win him back, from learning to mix his drinks perfectly to making him baked Alaska at only 9 years old. When none of her efforts worked, she believed she must have made some mistake along the way and vowed never to displease anyone ever again. Little Anastasia spent much of her childhood at primary school like the rest of Britain’s children, but after school and on weekends she was rarely out of the company of both her mum and younger brother. Only a year younger than she, the two children got along surprisingly well and rarely competed for anything. Their mum brought them up to be the epitome of obedience and respect, with piano lessons and etiquette classes every Sunday until they were sent off to Hogwarts. As a trio, the family was closer than any other, and never once did Anastasia doubt she was cared for. At the end of her final year in primary school, Anastasia got her letter from Hogwarts. She spent that summer questioning her mother endlessly about the castle and all its wonders. She received a beautiful owl on her final night at home as a gift from her brother, who had saved up all his pocket money to buy it (though it still wasn’t nearly enough, so really their mother paid for it, but Ana needn’t know that part). She swore to write him every week while she was away, and to send him pictures of all the most exciting aspects of her new life at school. Upon her arrival at Hogwarts, Anastasia was sorted into Ravenclaw where she quickly befriended many people and sent pictures of all of them home to her brother. It was with those letters that Anastasia first became interested in muggle photography, a secret passion that has continued throughout her life. In her fourth year, she had the fortune of befriending one Trenton Rosier, a Slytherin she had been set up on playdates with thanks to their parents, but hadn’t particularly taken to. Now, at 15, she was enraptured by his quiet manner and charm and agreed to tutor him in divination, a subject she excelled in while he barely managed to keep his head above water. Eventually, at the end of their fifth year, Trenton asked her out out; it turned out to be the most wonderful day since her arrival at Hogwarts. The two started dating, and soon became the golden couple of Hogwarts (or at least to those who knew them). Around that time, Anastasia’s mother sent her a letter telling her daughter that her father had suffered a stroke but was recovering very quickly. Since then, Ana’s mother said, he had stopped drinking completely and become much more of the man he once was. Anastasia was delighted to hear that not only was he becoming a better husband but from the sound of it she was about to reconnect with the father she had never stopped loving, even when she felt he didn’t love her. Her last couple years at Hogwarts sailed by smoothly, and with her many Outstanding grades in her O.W.L.s Anastasia has begun pursuing a career in Department of Magical Law Enforcement, specifically Wizengamot Administration Services. She is well aware that as a witch fresh out of Hogwarts there is less than no chance of her getting onto the Wizengamot, but is planning to work her way from the bottom up, even if it means fetching coffee and fresh quills for a year or two. During the summer before her seventh year Anastasia began a correspondence with the head of the department in an effort to build rapport and, hopefully, get some tips that may help her get the inside track when it comes time for her to apply for the job.

Headcanons:

(I.) After her father recovered from his bout with alcoholism, Anastasia’s parents began spending more and more time with the old social group from her childhood, including Trenton’s parents. At first Anastasia loved to hear about the fun, thankfully alcohol-free times he was having, but over the years she started to sense his growing frustration with muggles, something even young Ana didn’t entirely agree with. She saw the merit when he told her the entire magical community was being repressed because of the muggles’ fear, but their opinions differed when it came to deciding what the appropriate action might be to correct that. Her father, and even her mother, seemed to believe brute force was absolutely necessary if wizards were ever going to be able to live their normal lives without hiding like rats, and to make matters worse, recently Anastasia has been getting a strong impression that Trenton shares that view.

(II.) Anastasia’s favourite subject in school has always been Divination. To her disappointment she wasn’t lucky enough to be born with the gift of being a seer, but hard work and a strong faith in the validity of the subject have led her to nearly the top of the class, and she has formed a bond with the Divination professor she admires so much, and sees as a mentor she can go to when she is unable to talk with her own mother. And it doesn’t hurt that Anastasia finds the view from the Divination tower to have the most beautiful sunsets in the entire castle.

(III.) Over the coming Christmas break the Zabini family is planning on taking a trip to see some family friends in America, and Anastasia couldn’t be more excited. Not that she has much interest in sitting in on the adults’ idle chit chat, but she and her brother have made plans to discover the hidden magical underworld of Salem, one of America’s oldest wizarding settlements. The history is extensive and yet there are surprisingly few books on the subject in the family library, or even the Hogwarts one, and the two youngest Zabinis have been waiting for years for this opportunity to discover it first-hand.

OPTIONAL INFORMATION

Wand:

Alder and dragon heartstring, 9 ¼", bendy

Amortentia:

Trenton’s cologne (the one she originally hated, but grew to love); cigar smoke (her father smoked Cubans); fresh baked sugar cookie (her mother nearly always had some in the oven); baby powder (she can’t wait to start her own family)

Boggart:

Not just the body, but they dying breaths of any one of her family members

Dementor:

During Christmas break of her second year, Anastasia and her brother were ice skating on a pond near their house when the ice broke and her brother fell in. Ana was petrified for a moment, unsure of what to do or how to help without falling in herself, and had it not been for a brave stranger who heard her screams and came running, it is likely her brother would have died. For years Anastasia felt horribly guilty over this day, despite her mother’s insistence that it wasn’t her fault and the only long-lasting damage little scar on her brother’s wrist.

Patronus:

A dove, symbolizing love, peace, and new life

Anything Else:

Nothing

[devilssnarerp]

Congratulations KENNA! You have been accepted as Trenton Rosier. Please go through the checklist and send in your account within 24 hours. If you need more time, make sure you send a message to the main.

I can’t wait to see a character that has as much importance as Trenton on the dash. He surely will have a different opinion that the majority of students, and the conflict it will create will be awesome. I can’t wait to interact with Trenton and to see him cause so much drama. Welcome to Devil’s Snare!

OOC INFO -- About the Player

Name & Age:

Kenna, 22

Preferred Pronouns:

She/Her

Timezone & Activity Level:

PST

Anything Else:

So excited to be here!

IC INFORMATION

Character Name:

Trenton Atilius Rosier

Age & Year:

Seventeen, Seventh Year

Birthday:

September 1st

Birthplace:

Oxford, UK

Blood Status:

Pureblood

House:

Slytherin

Face Claim:

Matthew Daddario

Personality:

Trenton has always been the most serious of the three boys in his family, evident even at birth. By the time he was nine he had mostly outgrown the imaginary friends, belly laughs, and wild abandon of kids his age; when he played it was to win, the only real exception being with his best friend. His loyalty to those who earn it is unbreakable, especially to his family, but he is not so easily won over. Taking after his father, he has never been a very trusting person, though as with his loyalty if someone puts in enough work he may eventually let them in. For the most part however, he tries to play things close to the vest; Trenton is a firm believer in not putting too many eggs in one basket, not even his best friend knows all of his secrets. Growing up surrounded by blood purists had the desired effect on Trenton. Both his parents were firm believers in a new order where muggles no longer had any power over wizards, no more hiding their abilities behind closed doors. All of their friends, with whom Trenton spent most weekends and even some evenings after work and lessons, believed the same. Their kids, his friends, even his brothers believed it. There wasn’t a chance he would be allowed to grow up thinking anything else, and Trenton did not disappoint. Deep down he is uncertain why he thinks purity is the most important thing about wizards, but at this point the feeling of dislike has become too ingrained into his personality for him to question it without dismantling his entire belief system.

Biography:

Long before Trenton Rosier was even a thought, his grandparents were devout supporters of the Dark Lord. During his first reign, Trenton’s grandfather was killed by aurors, leaving his young children alone with only their mother, who was forced into hiding on the mainland for many years. The kids grew up hearing many stories about how their heroic father went down fighting for the cause, rather than quietly giving himself up to the Ministry like a coward. They idolized him, and while they may have missed him dearly and wished he could have watched them grow up, none of the children had anything but respect for their father. Many years later, around the turn of the century, Marcus Rosier married a pureblooded woman whose family was close with his, and returned to the UK, just as his father would have wanted - it was a union of strategy rather than love, but it didn’t hurt that his new bride was the sole heir to a rather large estate and fortune. Not long after their marriage came the birth of their first son, Braden, and only a year later came a second, Logan. It was at that point Marcus’s tolerance of muggle oppression hit an all-time low, and he began organizing meetings with some of his closest friends to discuss the future of wizardkind. Under the pretense of being a social group, Marcus’s followers began to grow. He was very cautious only to discuss such important matters with those he knew could be trusted, and every person took time to vet before they were granted insider information. The process was slow-going, but Marcus felt that secrecy was the key to their success - the Death Eaters had lacked a certain subtlety and in the end he felt that had been the reason for their failure. He was determined to succeed where Voldemort had not. Four years after the birth of his second son came a third: Trenton. He was a strange baby from the start, and for a long while his mother feared he was ill or even mentally unbalanced; he rarely cried, laughed only for his brothers and the Nott baby who was close in age, and seemed generally uninterested in the typical toys of infants. Even as a child he seemed serious and attentive, his gaze seemingly intensely set on whatever he happened to be looking at. For months his mother refused to let him out of her sight for longer than ten minutes at a time, concerned with his abnormal behavior. As time went on and young Trenton seemed to relax, his mother grew less and less attached, exhausted from watching him so intently and constantly for so long a time. By the time he turned one, Trenton’s demeanor had changed enough that no one who met him would be able to guess the troubling start to life he had. Just before his second birthday, a ghastly rumor spread throughout Marcus’s group of purists. One of the members, assigned the duty of vetting foreign contacts in the hopes of beginning an international movement, was expecting a new baby, and there were many whispers that the timeline didn’t add up. Devoted servant to the cause, the man had been out of the country during the time the baby would have been conceived; when the girl was born her mother insisted premature labor, but many still had their doubts. She was a very attractive woman, and while at the time they had interpreted it as devotion, she had been spending a considerable amount of time with a man who was not her husband.. Marcus did his best to silence the whisperers, knowing full well the child was his. He had never truly loved his wife just as she had never truly loved him, and though she now turned her back on him save for social events, the only regret he felt was for the indiscretion had begat a halfblood child. Their sham of a marriage did not last much longer however, for the woman had long grown tired of pretending to love a man whose presence she loathed, and the insult of his affair was enough to give her the courage she needed. Homesick for her family, she divorced her husband and left their three sons in his care to return to the mainland just after Trenton’s seventh birthday. While they write each other fairly regularly, Trenton has not seen his mother in person in many years. Marcus did his best to be a strong figure his sons could follow as they grew, the way his father had been for him. Unfortunately, as he had spent most of his life not knowing his father but through the stories told by his mother, Marcus had very little idea of how to behave around his boys. Talking with them was challenging enough for him, but to be a parent? He didn’t have the slightest clue where to start. And so Trenton and his brothers grew up admiring their father, the figurehead of the Purity movement and a strong head of their household, but not really knowing the man on a very personal level. Nannies were the people who raised the Rosier boys after their mother left, and though their father did his best to parent when he knew how, Trenton may as well have been orphaned. His father took him to quidditch matches but never threw a quaffle around with him at home, bought him his own owl but rarely sent him anything. Still, having inherited so much of his father’s serious demeanor, Trenton did not mind this lack of affection as much as his brothers. There were no hugs or I love you’s, only claps on the shoulder for making the quidditch team and respectfully inclined heads for getting full marks in Transfiguration, and Trenton learned early on that the only opinion of any real importance was his own. Trenton did not cry as many first years did when they boarded the train to Hogwarts. That being said, he knew he would miss his father greatly and, not wanting to show any weakness in front of his father, when he stepped onto the train he did not look back to wave one last goodbye. Had he done so he might have seen the sadness in his father’s eyes, possibly the first real sign of delicate emotion the man had let show in a long time. Trenton was mildly excited for his new school, though having heard so much about it from his brothers it was not half the mystery to him that it was to most others. He and Zane spent the entire train ride playing exploding snap and eating as much candy from the trolly as they could possibly fit in their stomachs; what they could not finish, they stored in their trunks for later that night. After all, it was Trenton’s birthday, and he deserved some type of celebration. The Sorting Hat debated for far too long in Trenton’s opinion, before deciding to put him in Slytherin. According to it, he had potential in any of the four houses, and in fact it tried changed its mind many times before finally placing him in the house of the serpent, though its reasons had been unclear. It mentioned something about his mind being too full of other voices for him to know what is right for him, and that “Slytherins will help clear that up in no time.” To this day he hasn’t any idea what the Hat may have meant. Regardless, he joined Zane at the table decorated in green and silver, never to question its decision.

Headcanons:

(I.) Zannon Warrington has been Trenton’s best friend for longer than he can remember - the way his brothers tell it, the two have shared a fondness and playful rivalry since their diaper days. Truth be told, Trent loves Zane every bit as much as his own family members and would die for his friend without a second thought. As serious as Trent is, Zane is his polar opposite, balancing Trent out with his endless sarcasm and jokes. He frequently forces Trent to step outside his comfort zone and relax, and though he’d deny it ‘til the end, Trenton loves him for it; the majority of his happiest memories only happened because of the boy he’s come to see as his third and closest brother.

(II.) As a student Trenton isn’t top of the class, but he’s no slacker either. Some subjects, such as Transfiguration, are easy for him, while others like Divination and Potions are more of a struggle. He sees no merit in relying on soggy tea leaves or a ball full of mist to predict his future, and following potions directions to a tee is something he has to really focus on to get right. It was thanks to his poor Divination performance that he reconnected with Anastasia Zabini, the daughter of one of his father’s old friends and the future love of his life. Since becoming close with her Trenton has gotten better at hiding his loathing for Divination, but he still believes it to be an obsolete subject.

(III.) After divorcing his father and leaving her family, Trenton did not hear from his mother for years. In fact, his first letter from her did not arrive until a week before he left for Hogwarts. She explained that she still loved him and wanted what was best for him, but her life had been chosen for her and she couldn’t allow that to continue any longer. Her letter said she feared Trenton may one day be faced with the same situation, the way his father was pursuing his cause no matter the consequences; she didn’t want Trenton and his brothers to get sucked into the battle out of loyalty to their father, and invited him to come live with her. It wasn’t until that point that Trenton realized just how angry he was with his mother for being so selfish as to leave her own flesh and blood, young children no less, and not even have the decency to write until four years later. He tore up the letter and pitched it. It was another two years before Trenton decided to write her back, and the two have slowly built up their relationship since. Now the two correspond about every two or three weeks, but Trenton will never be able to fully trust her.

(IV.) Trent’s long-time closeness with Kiri Camden eventually earned him her trust, and around Christmas of his sixth year she confided in him that her mother had been involved in an affair long ago and the man she had believed to be her father wasn’t actually related to her. This thought lingered in the back of his mind for a while, nudging at some old rumors he’d heard of his own father’s infidelity around that same time. With the help of his brothers and best friend, Trent discovered that his friend’s deceased mother had run in the same circle as his father back in the day, and the two had been very close indeed. In a moment of bravery he wasn’t quite sure how he mustered, Trent asked his father for the truth and the man confirmed it, though insisted Trent was not to breathe a word to anyone, as the woman had been a halfblood and therefore impure by Rosier standards. Trent, who has long-since grown to love Kiri like the little sister he never had, has absolutely no idea how to tell her that they really are related - especially since the thing Kiri wants more than anything is a family, and their father wants nothing to do with her.

Writing Sample:

I don’t want to do this so just use the Kiri/Trenton quidditch thread

OPTIONAL INFORMATION

Wand:

Hawthorn, two unicorn foal tail hairs, 12 1/3 inches, extremely rigid

Amortentia:

Anastasia’s favourite perfume; broomstick handle polish - the weekly routine of maintaining his quidditch equipment, something he’s done since he was ten; salty sea air - it reminds him of his favourite vacation from long ago, when his family was together and happy

Boggart:

Varies between his brother’s dead body, Zane’s, Anastasia’s, and his own. Trenton fears death above all else - though his reckless competitions with Zane beg to differ; he fears the finality, the inevitability that it will happen to him and everyone he loves, and there’s nothing he will be able to do to stop it when the time comes.

Dementor:

During a family trip to South Germany when he was young to visit one of his father’s old friends, Trenton wandered off to explore the nearby forest where he was entranced by a pleasant sort of cackling a ways off. Curious and daring as he was, he set out to find the source and stumbled into an Erkling who promptly tried to catch and eat the young boy. Out of pure luck Trenton managed to outrun the creature until he was near enough the house to call for help. His brothers came running just as the Erkling caught hold of Trenton’s ankle, throwing heavy rocks at the creature until it let the small boy go free and retreated. On his worst nights Trenton sometimes still has nightmares of the rows of sharp teeth mere inches away from his face, and every time he nears a dementor he is forced to hear the high pitched cackling he once found so entrancing it nearly got him eaten alive.

Patronus:

Clouded leopard- sly, cunning, lethal, blends in well, silent but deadly. His best memory is one of a Christmas ball his father hosted a couple of years back; he invited Anastasia on one of their first real dates outside of Hogwarts. Halfway through the night he was struck with the realization that he loved her, subsequently panicked, essentially abandoned her, and when she finally tracked him down she told him - as if reading his mind - that when you love someone you do not leave her standing alone in the middle of the dance floor, especially mid-song. It was one of her more bossy moments in life, and Trenton fell even harder for her.

Anything Else:

Nothing!

[devilssnarerp]

Anastasia was raised a proper young lady, the perfect muggle debutante but with the bonus of being born with the gift of magic. Her mother got lucky: Ana’s quiet and calm predisposition made for an easy child to be molded. Training gave her poise when she walked and grace when she danced, but only luck in the genetic lottery gave her the natural charisma that draws people in and puts them at ease. She does everything she can to never let on about her intense fear of vexing anyone she cares about, undoubtedly stemming from a mild case of anxiety she has kept secret since childhood. An excellent work ethic almost got her placed in Hufflepuff, but Anastasia’s thirst for knowledge, to prove herself, and to make some small impact on the world convinced the Hat she was destined to be a Ravenclaw. She has never been shy, but tries to keep her head down in groups as her mother taught her a good girl should. The etiquette classes she took all throughout her childhood have stuck firmly in her mind, and it’s a very rare and concerning day when Anastasia doesn’t say please and thank you or slurps her soup at dinner.

From birth, Anastasia Zabini was a very loved girl. Her dotting mother hosted numerous little get-togethers so all of her friends could see just what a beautiful baby she was, took the infant to every park in town so strangers could look on in envy, and bought the little girl every pretty dress she laid eyes on to accentuate the infant’s darling little features. However as the little Anastasia grew from a petite child to a young lady, her father’s affection grew less and less. He was so stressed and busy with work all the time, when he came home all he would do was sit down with the news and drink his whiskey. Anastasia tried everything to win him back, from learning to mix his drinks perfectly to making him baked Alaska at only 9 years old. When none of her efforts worked, she believed she must have made some mistake along the way and vowed never to displease anyone ever again. Little Anastasia spent much of her childhood at primary school like the rest of Britain’s children, but after school and on weekends she was rarely out of the company of both her mum and younger brother. Only a year younger than she, the two children got along surprisingly well and rarely competed for anything. Their mum brought them up to be the epitome of obedience and respect, with piano lessons and etiquette classes every Sunday until they were sent off to Hogwarts. As a trio, the family was closer than any other, and never once did Anastasia doubt she was cared for. At the end of her final year in primary school, Anastasia got her letter from Hogwarts. She spent that summer questioning her mother endlessly about the castle and all its wonders. She received a beautiful owl on her final night at home as a gift from her brother, who had saved up all his pocket money to buy it (though it still wasn’t nearly enough, so really their mother paid for it, but Ana needn’t know that part). She swore to write him every week while she was away, and to send him pictures of all the most exciting aspects of her new life at school. Upon her arrival at Hogwarts, Anastasia was sorted into Ravenclaw where she quickly befriended many people and sent pictures of all of them home to her brother. It was with those letters that Anastasia first became interested in muggle photography, a secret passion that has continued throughout her life. In her fourth year, she had the fortune of befriending one Trenton Rosier, a Slytherin she had been set up on playdates with thanks to their parents, but hadn’t particularly taken to. Now, at 15, she was enraptured by his quiet manner and charm and agreed to tutor him in divination, a subject she excelled in while he barely managed to keep his head above water. Eventually, at the end of their fifth year, Trenton asked her out out; it turned out to be the most wonderful day since her arrival at Hogwarts. The two started dating, and soon became the golden couple of Hogwarts (or at least to those who knew them). Around that time, Anastasia’s mother sent her a letter telling her daughter that her father had suffered a stroke but was recovering very quickly. Since then, Ana’s mother said, he had stopped drinking completely and become much more of the man he once was. Anastasia was delighted to hear that not only was he becoming a better husband but from the sound of it she was about to reconnect with the father she had never stopped loving, even when she felt he didn’t love her. Her last couple years at Hogwarts sailed by smoothly, and with her many Outstanding grades in her O.W.L.s Anastasia has begun pursuing a career in Department of Magical Law Enforcement, specifically Wizengamot Administration Services. She is well aware that as a witch fresh out of Hogwarts there is less than no chance of her getting onto the Wizengamot, but is planning to work her way from the bottom up, even if it means fetching coffee and fresh quills for a year or two. During the summer before her seventh year Anastasia began a correspondence with the head of the department in an effort to build rapport and, hopefully, get some tips that may help her get the inside track when it comes time for her to apply for the job.

(I.) After her father recovered from his bout with alcoholism, Anastasia’s parents began spending more and more time with the old social group from her childhood, including Trenton’s parents. At first Anastasia loved to hear about the fun, thankfully alcohol-free times he was having, but over the years she started to sense his growing frustration with muggles, something even young Ana didn’t entirely agree with. She saw the merit when he told her the entire magical community was being repressed because of the muggles’ fear, but their opinions differed when it came to deciding what the appropriate action might be to correct that. Her father, and even her mother, seemed to believe brute force was absolutely necessary if wizards were ever going to be able to live their normal lives without hiding like rats, and to make matters worse, recently Anastasia has been getting a strong impression that Trenton shares that view.

(II.) Anastasia’s favourite subject in school has always been Divination. To her disappointment she wasn’t lucky enough to be born with the gift of being a seer, but hard work and a strong faith in the validity of the subject have led her to nearly the top of the class, and she has formed a bond with the Divination professor she admires so much, and sees as a mentor she can go to when she is unable to talk with her own mother. And it doesn’t hurt that Anastasia finds the view from the Divination tower to have the most beautiful sunsets in the entire castle.

(III.) Over the coming Christmas break the Zabini family is planning on taking a trip to see some family friends in America, and Anastasia couldn’t be more excited. Not that she has much interest in sitting in on the adults’ idle chit chat, but she and her brother have made plans to discover the hidden magical underworld of Salem, one of America’s oldest wizarding settlements. The history is extensive and yet there are surprisingly few books on the subject in the family library, or even the Hogwarts one, and the two youngest Zabinis have been waiting for years for this opportunity to discover it first-hand.