Post by AURORA SINISTRA on Aug 11, 2011 3:34:24 GMT -5
AURORA SOLVEJ SINISTRA
[/color][/font]All my life I’ve been waiting
For you to bring a fairytale my way
Been living in a fantasy without meaning
It’s not okay I don’t feel safe[/color][/font]
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you said you'd light a candle and you'd say a prayer for me
[/color][/font]you said you'd light a candle and you'd say a prayer for me
WELL I FEEL THE LIGHT HAS DIMMED[/color][/font]
and gone; and half the world is begging while the other half steals.
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name: Aurora Solvej Sinistra
nicknames: none
gender: Female
age: Twenty-Eight
year: Astronomy Professor
birth date: 2nd October 1967
house: Ravenclaw alumni
blood type: Pureblood
sexual orientation: Heterosexual[/color][/font]
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oh, where did everything go wrong?
[/color][/font]oh, where did everything go wrong?
WELL, SOME DAYS I CAN'T BELIEVE[/color][/font]
others i'm on my knees, trying to be heard.
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physical description:
Aurora’s hair matches the sentiment of her name, being a blonde filled with a variety of dusty ash-gold tones. It is no longer a bushy mass such as it was during her school career, but rather is kept neatly trimmed to shoulder length. Due to her adherence to practical measures, however, the Professor keeps it pulled back during class time. When down it does serve to soften her otherwise quite angular face.
Aurora’s eyes are rather large, and are of a shade of blue that (when hit with light at the right angle) seem to possess a greenish tinge, hence the ease of making comparisons to the sea when seeking to describe their colour. The old adage about ‘windows to the soul’ is apt in the Professor’s case, as she has never been able to completely eradicate the evidence of her emotions from her eyes; therefore, if you want more information on her state of being than she is willing to supply verbally, seek clues in her eyes. In her head, the ideal of symmetry is not fulfilled in her facial features, due to her nose being just a touch too big to make it so; Aurora doesn’t let this bother her, merely acknowledges it as a truth of her appearance. Her lips err on the thin side, though they do often twitch upwards into a watery smile, especially when around students (because appearing to be dour only puts them off the subject and their teacher quite unnecessarily).
As for her build, well, Aurora has always leant more towards a boyish figure; this suits her just fine, as she wouldn’t welcome the attention being a ‘bombshell’ would bring in its wake anyway. Her movements are graceful, but marked by caution; Aurora suffered severely with rheumatoid arthritis as a child, and even now the healing spells and potions she makes use of do not always fully dampen the pain, hence her attempts to minimise her own discomfort. The one stray benefit of this is she is unusually good at moving quietly – she can be beside you and you just won’t know it until you catch a glimpse of her out of the corner of your eye. It can be quite disconcerting, to say the very least.
play by: Romola Garai
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i was your anger, and you were my fear.
[/color][/font]i was your anger, and you were my fear.
AND NOW THAT IT'S OVER, OF COURSE IT'S[/color][/font]
so clear, but you were no angel, and i was no sin.
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YOU HAVE A CHOICE BETWEEN THE LISTING BELOW OR THE OVERALL PERSONALITY. DO NOT DO BOTH.
overall personality:
Even long before she entered Hogwarts and was Sorted into Ravenclaw, Aurora Sinistra was defined by her thirst for knowledge. One could say it ran in the family, with her father being a Professor – his daughter was given the best tutoring money could buy (though sometimes she benefitted more from his impromptu lessons), and was consumed by the need to know. Everything, preferably (much to her father and uncle’s fond amusement). This inclination was indulged by her father, but her mother had a tendency to lose patience with it after a while as she wanted her child to spend her childhood doing something more than having her nose stuck in some book or another. Aurora assumes they clashed over this at some point (Aldebaran won, by her reckoning and hindsight’s evidence), but the indulgence of her young mind’s quest continued. Her reading pace remains furiously fast to this day even, thanks to all the groundwork laid before she even began her magical education proper. Due to Aldebaran’s own specialisation in the field of Astronomy, this was what the majority of the more advanced texts in their home library focused on, and what Aurora valiantly tried to soldier through at an age when the technical terms still possessed the ability to bewilder; her father did, however, instil in Aurora the basics of the subject when he could, and answered the deluge of questions she had whose inanity she now cringes to look back on (because while the Professor in lenient in regard to the ignorance of others, she is not so forgiving towards herself). Aurora knows knowing everything is impossible (as her father pointed out, ‘But, my dear, there simply wouldn’t be enough room to store all that information. Not even in a brain like yours.’), but she doesn’t think that takes away too much from its merits as a goal. Being goal-orientated has always helped her whilst working – she is predisposed towards planning things out, and this has always proved a useful trait. Aurora is a thoughtful individual, and though polite will not necessarily be the one to instigate conversations out of turn. On the other hand, there are also those instances where she is so wrapped up in her thoughts or purposes that the woman fails to notice her immediate surroundings – a rather unsafe thing in this dark time.
With regards to her teaching style, Aurora possess quiet patience in a seemingly unending abundance; but this is balanced by her firm belief that as the students progress through the years they should be less and less ‘spoon-fed’, as this is useful to both push them academically and prepare them for a life outside Hogwarts where there will be no adult interested in supervising them so closely. Luckily for those who don’t apply themselves quite so much as they should, Aurora is firm in her mantra that ‘there is no such thing as a stupid question’ – other lecturers might be provoked into snapping, but not her. Nevertheless, she does not tolerate misbehaviour, especially not considering the delicate equipment her subject revolves around – trying to re-adjust a telescope can take up hours she is not inclined to sacrifice. It is also noteworthy that, while personally she is a classic perfectionist, she tries not to let this affect her teaching too much – specifically in the area of marking, despite the fact that some essays and charts can drive her to consider that perhaps banging her head against a wall would be all-around better for her health and sanity.
Pragmatic/Perfectionist/Prudent – A pragmatic soul, Aurora always formulates a plan involving the most sensible solution to whatever is in her way. However, she is also a perfectionist, and these two characteristics can sometimes fight against each other (a petty example being fixing her bookshelves after a class, she wants it done with a minimum of fuss but at the same time any mistakes will vex her beyond their true import). The woman tries her utmost to act with a degree of prudence in everything she does, and oftentimes succeeds.
Shyness was a quality that dominated much of Miss Sinistra’s early life; as an unwell, delicate child she was often holed up at home whilst others were out playing, therefore bypassing the opportunity to socialise. Therefore, when she was able to mingle with her peers, the girl felt unsure of how to conduct herself – thus leading to a retreat back to where she felt safe, as she despised being or merely appearing ill at ease. Of course, not every contemporary proved themselves either understanding nor caring as to why she acted in this manner; thus the not-so-good-natured teasing began, prompting an early flowering of a mistrust of others. Thankfully it was tempered by her otherwise balanced nature: but even so the presence of such mistrust cannot be denied. Aurora is the sort of person who, despite seeming to offer forgiveness, in fact remembers perfectly clearly every slight and wound inflicted upon her; somewhere in her psyche they are all as fresh as the day they were made. Thus, because she cannot forget, she finds it extremely difficult to genuinely forgive. And in some cases, this would be unthinkable; the Death Eaters who murdered her father being the prime example of this (her ex-fiancé among them). However, this seminal event in her life has had an effect: it has produced fear. Aurora cannot believe the extent of the cold-blooded capabilities of Lord Voldemort’s minions – reading about murders and ‘disappearances’ in The Prophet was harrowing yes, but ultimately detached – whereas now it has touched her own life it feels uncomfortably real. She can be skittish at times, particularly when outside the protected environs of Hogwarts. Like many, the castle has also become a bastion of safety to Professor Sinistra.
One of the most beneficial things her father ever instilled in her (and he has been the source of much wisdom in her life), is that you simply cannot judge people by your own personal standards. Everyone, without exception, possess different opinions, moral compasses, methods of doing things – true, there might be broad agreement in some cases, but at no point should one feel comfortable with dismissing another point of view – thus the world is one mass of shades of grey to Aurora, or at least this is how she tells herself it should look. In reality, the woman has become rather more hard-line with regard to the whole blood-purity and related arguments centring on Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters these past few years; the cold-blooded murder of her father offering a radical paradigm shift for Aurora in this regard. For her own part, Aurora is an honest being – this is not to say she has never lied, but that she does try to keep to the truth when it remains an option to do so. However, it has to be noted that her view of the world has never been one that displayed rosy perfection: Aurora can be something of a pessimist if she cannot think her way out of a situation.
Perhaps her greatest hurdle to overcome is her all-encompassing need for independence. As a molly-coddled child this wasn’t so apparent unless she wasn’t getting her own way; whereas now she is an adult it manifests in a stubborn determination to do everything for herself. Accepting help, even with the most trivial of tasks, irks her no end. This is turn can drive people away from her – why bother extending the hand of friendship when it is so summarily rejected? Nevertheless, Aurora struggles to repress this aspect of her personality even now – in part it is linked to her perfectionism, but an even greater basis lies in her need to prove her capabilities to herself.
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but somehow i just can't let it go, can't let it go. half
[/color][/font]but somehow i just can't let it go, can't let it go. half
THE WORLD IS SLEEPING WHILE THE OTHER[/color][/font]
half dreams, you close your eyes and then you're gone
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family:
Mother: Vibeke Gunnila Søndergaard [Housewife]
Father: Aldebaran Sergius Sinistra [Durmstrang Astronomy Professor, deceased]
Uncle: Aelianus Eustorgius Sinistra [Unspeakable]
Ex-Fiancé: ---- ---- [Death Eater]
overall history:
Aldebaran was just on the verge of attaining his Professor position when he happened to be introduced to Vibeke at an otherwise nondescript social function, and from there a slow romance grew which eventually ended in their marriage. If the Danish woman had not been visiting her aunt in London, well, their fateful meeting might never have taken place at all – but they settled into the Sinistra family home near Dover and almost immediately began trying for a child. They succeeded but once, and that produced Aurora Solvej in the mid-autumn of 1965. From the very start she was adored as their own ‘bundle of joy’, and was consequently more than a little spoilt. As time passed, however, the couple began to notice something just a smidge not right about their little girl – she wasn’t walking properly, not really making the concerted effort other toddlers exhibited to become more steady on her feet. It was Vibeke (always the more forceful one in their partnership) who insisted that they go to St Mungos, and Aldebaran agreed, though with reservations due to his concern about wasting the Healers time. As it turned out, this was the entirely right thing to do: Aurora was diagnosed as being subject to the rheumatoid arthritis disease, an incurable affliction that would affect the rest of her life. Oh, there were spells utilised and potions given, but all they served to do was dull the pain and slow the development of the sickness. Aurora would never truly be rid of it.
Thus, with this debilitation in mind, her parents wrapped her up in cotton-wool; she didn’t play outside unsupervised, and was always admonished to be cautious in her movements. Aurora didn’t especially rail against these restrictions, because she had never known her life to be otherwise. Instead, she discovered other, more profitable ways to fill her time – she did her lessons with due diligence and devoured books voraciously instead. Aldebaran was more than happy to help his child in any particular academic endeavour she happened to undertake, thus making their relationship a much stronger bond than it might otherwise have been. Vibeke, on the other hand, did not give up on her social expectations for her offspring, and pushed the girl into attending parties and gatherings, much against her will. This could be described as the beginnings of their poor relations; in truth, mother and daughter have never quite seen eye to eye on a great many issues, and neither is afraid to enlighten the other as to their opinions. In addition, Aurora just happened to be the kind of child who caught every little bug and sniffle that was doing the rounds, and due to her lack of interaction with her peers (and therefore lesser immunity), they had a greater effect upon her than if she had had a ‘normal’ childhood. This too continues to this day, and is the reasoning behind her strict dietary and supplement regime. As for her bursts of magic, well, they appeared to centre around scuppering her mother’s plans to get her out of the school-room and into the parlour to be paraded in front of other adults like some show pony. In one instance, all the delicate china tea-cups held in the equally delicate hands of her mother’s friends were filling with boiling tea which cascaded down the perfect dresses of their holders and filled the room with shrieks; in another instance, Aurora almost seemed to blend into the very fabric of the curtains she was hiding in whilst attempting to escape Vibeke’s attentions. The woman often privately berated her husband for encouraging their daughter’s ‘defiant’ and ‘hoydenish’ ways (Aurora looked up ‘hoyden’ in the dictionary, and came to the conclusion that it didn’t really fit her that well at all). Nothing other than her receiving a Hogwarts invitation on the occasion of her eleventh birthday was expected, and this assumption was fulfilled; on September 1st she was summarily dispatched to the hallowed halls of learning, and left to adjust to having a measure of ‘independence’, however miniscule, for the very first time.
Needless to say, Hogwarts suited her down to the ground: she was Sorted into Ravenclaw and felt that the Hat had made the right decision in doing so (despite its veiled references to how well she’d do in Slytherin, as there was a cunning deep within her that she had yet to fully utilise). Miss Sinistra studied hard, as hard as any of her peers, if not more due to her compulsion to prove herself and made her teacher-father proud. This was her the impetus driving her all through her school career, and while this time left her with few close friends, it did bestow excellent qualifications and the approval she sought. The one person of note during this time was the young man, a Slytherin, who in the end she consented to become engaged to. Her mother approved wholeheartedly, hoping that having an anchor in the form of a marriage would make her settle down and put her off the idea of following her father into the arduous career of teaching Astronomy. However, just because she was in love didn’t make Aurora put her personal goals onto a back burner; rather she insisted the union wait until she had completed the further studies she was undertaking within the field of Astronomy at an institute in St Petersburg.
This chance decision, arbitrary though it might have seen, did end up having its benefits: it meant that Aurora wasn’t permanently entangled with the man who took part in the cold-blooded murder of her father. Times were turning dark at this stage, had in fact already sunk dreadfully low, and Durmstrang had always had a reputation regarding the Dark Arts and associated beliefs and practices. Even being a pureblood didn’t save Aldebaran, who refused point-blank to pledge his allegiance to a cause he did not support and thus was a candidate for elimination. Aurora Apparated just outside the warded entrance to the family home when the Dark Mark was being cast to hang eerily above the mansion; the sight rooted her to the spot with shock. However, from her vantage point she could clearly make out those standing on her front porch, laughing amongst themselves. One face in particular provoked horrified recognition, which pierced her heart like a shard of ice. They disappeared, not having noticed her, and the relief this momentarily brought galvanised her into entering the home, not knowing what she might find destroyed. Truthfully, she doesn’t recall much past this point – Vibeke returned to find her daughter cradling the cold body of her father, a gentle man who was gone forever and whose body bore the heinous marks of magical torture. This event served to bring the remaining members of the family closer together; but it also prompted the understandable breaking off of Aurora’s engagement (she never did reveal to her mother why this was necessary, fearing what such information would do to the woman who had welcomed her future son-in-law with open arms). The man in question, however, didn’t quite see why his ‘beloved’ had so drastically changed her mind, and therefore he chased her down to have it out with her. Aurora barely made it through that confrontation, and has been looking for ways to remain safe ever since.
In this vein, she thanked her lucky stars when Albus Dumbledore chose to offer her a teaching position at Hogwarts: here was somewhere impenetrable Aurora could retreat to, to lick her wounds and be distracted by the responsibility of imparting essential knowledge to the next generation. Thus, she has lived at the school and been in charge of Astronomy for over six years now, and rarely returns home.
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and maybe my intentions have been misunderstood,
[/color][/font]and maybe my intentions have been misunderstood,
I KNOW YOU FEEL SO BEAUTIFULLY WRONGED[/color][/font]
some days i can't believe, others i'm one my knees.
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age: 21
other characters: Melinda Bobbin
secret phrase: Bloody Hell
how you found us: That psycho known as Psyche
It was a Saturday, and the castle was as quiet inside as it was noisy out. The snows had come swirling down from the north in a blizzard of whiteness the night before, blanketing the castle with a sugar coating and transforming every angle of the learning institution into something that would look more at home on a Christmas card or a box of novelty shortbread. Snow had a strange effect on people, Aurora mused as she sat at one of the tables in the dusty and abandoned Library. The Prefect did nothing if not choose to take advantage of peace and quiet when it was offered. Whilst the majority of her peers were outside - lobbing snowballs at one another, building snow ‘people’ (whole families and cliques, in fact), and generally fooling around and gambolling – Miss Sinistra had not allowed even the ethereally beautiful snow to persuade her away from the pressing matters of schoolwork. There would be other winters, other blizzards – there would not, however, be other chances to make up for lost OWL preparation. Yes, while the exams were months away, Aurora was already worried, had been in a state of preternatural worry since the summer, over them. It would be enough to make anyone go a little bit mad; but all it did for her was spur her on. The girl worked best under pressure, real or imagined. Her parchment and books were all spread neatly over the surface of the one slightly-crooked table she always tried to make use of – it was rejected by most other pupils out of hand for its slanting surface and wriggly way of moving when leant upon. Aurora liked it precisely for these distinguishing factors – it didn’t bother her to have to know the exact sensitive spots that one should avoid putting pressure upon, and the slant she was positive actually worked in favour of better posture. Most of all, she enjoyed being ensconced in an atmosphere of scholarship – nothing was more pleasant than the rustle of books and the swift scratching patter of quill on parchment. In amongst all her completely suitable schoolwork, was one pile of notes that if read would strike the audience as distinctly out of place. They concerned the mythology of phoenixes, and carefully copied out excerpts from the score of ‘Requiem for a Dream’, and even a few odd quotes concerning philosophical opinions about nothingness. All these clues were, in fact, exactly that – Aurora Sinistra’s written method of examining the evidence, evidence that would make no sense to the casual peruser as they lacked the fundamental key to the puzzle.
Despite all evidence to the contrary, the idea that she was some sort of supercomputer cleverly disguised as a teenage girl, for example; Aurora was more than capable of becoming distracted. If only they knew (who ‘they’ were was debateable; she did not associate with many of her fellows, and so their concern with her hovered somewhere around the zero mark) this, if only they could see inside her head the way she could so often see into theirs, they would find that she had been permitting something of a pet project to divert her in these last few weeks. That was why she was so behind (in her own, mostly imagined, way of thinking) – the phoenix locket had been a very clever device on the part of one Xerxes Bastian to channel her thoughts towards something other than the benefits of her homework and reading. ‘Damn him’ Aurora thought – then a lightning look of shock passed across her face as she blanched, wondering where on Earth such vehemence of wording emanated from within her – and she hastily amended her inner comment to ‘Blast him’. Feeling stupidly, inexplicably better for doing so, she berated herself for daydreaming and tried to settle once more into a steady flow of writing. The Ancient Runes assignment, after all, wouldn’t solve itself.
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