Accio Goblet!

Hey guys, so, I know I owe a lot of tags and I need to comment on like a billion journal entries but my family is, like, really into Christmas (my grandfather is a PRIEST, okay), and things are just insane around here because my mother abandoned us to go to England for the holidays and my dad is, to put this kindly, totally neurotic and mildly useless... so I'm kind of running the show here this year and it is just BATSHIT INSANE KINDS OF STRESSFUL AND CRAZY. And then two days after Christmas my best friend from college who I haven't seen in a year will be arriving for five days. He and I are really good at sitting together in companionable silence/on the computer so I won't be totally gone while he is here, but I do want to spend a lot of time with him since, yeah, it has been a year and he's my favorite person ever.

So... I'll just be insane/busy until the new year. I intend to get to my threads when I can, I promise. And I know there is lots of Christmas/Yule Ball stuff to go up and be tagged too (AHHHH).

So. Email me. Please, everyone, just email me. Tell me what threads I'm supposed to be putting up and when. Better yet, email me and say you want to put them up. Even BETTER email me and tell me that you love me and this will all be over soon. (It's the email address listed on the contact list that is NOT gmail.)

Happy Christmas, girls. And as they say in my hometown: Don't Forget To Be Awesome.

Well, my dears, at the arse crack of dawn tomorrow morning I am off to Elena's hometown of Berlin, Germany. I will be back on the 10th. I'll likely be keeping tabs on the game on my iPhone when I collapse in the hostel lobby at night, but don't expect tagging from me (unless I absolutely cannot help myself). I'll miss you! Be safe! Make good choices!

(And also feel free to email me! I like emails.)

So, I told you guys that you wouldn't have to read another intro post from me but, um, I lied? I really wanted a Hufflepuff, okay?! And and and, Anna Kendrick! And also to have a character whose name doesn't start or end in a vowel (let's not discuss her full name), (seriously though, Stella, Amelia, Ava, Elena, Elodie...)!

And I need to get on topic because Nat and I are sitting in the same room having a race to see who can introduce their character first so we can go explore dinner options. So! This is Guinevere Bronwyn Montgomery, but you may call her Gwen. In fact, you must call her Gwen unless you're the foolish (but beloved) parents who named her Guinevere. She's H6. And here are some factoids about her:

• Gwen is really Welsh. Like, really. Her parents actually met at a Welsh-speaking primary school before either of them discovered they had magical powers. She also attended a Welsh-speaking primary school before coming to Hogwarts. She's from Cardiff.

• She's a Montgomery sister, but not one of the Montgomery sisters. The crying pair will be her younger sisters, current third years, who sport the unfortunate monikers of Tristan and Isolde. Tristan is a Hufflepuff like her big sister. Isolde is a Gryffindor. Given the current school environment that's... interesting.

• She's pretty laid back about most things, but very intensely into her academic interests which are first and foremost Care of Magical Creatures (her mum, who she worships, is a Magical Creature expert for the DoMC), followed closely by Herbology and Potions. She spends a lot of time doing outside study and sneaking off to the greenhouses and Hagrid's hut. So she spends a fair amount of time on her own and is perfectly capable of keeping herself entertained.

• She's hard to anger, but can hold a serious grudge. So don't bully her sisters. Or cheat in international tournaments. Or date her and then be a dick, Sebastian. (Why, yes, we have ACRIMONIOUS Hufflepuffs who can't stand to be in the same room as one another, people!)

• She is not the type to be super effusive and have lots of REALLY, REALLY CLOSE FRIENDS (like a certain character of mine that I could mention), instead she has a few close intimates and a lot of friendly acquaintances. I sort of imagine her closest school friends to be her roommates. Tamsin? Ronnie? You up for this? Everyone else, she will be perfectly friendly and probably laugh at your jokes.

• She has the cutest little brother in the world. She will hear no arguments about this.

Clicking post. Did I win? Edit: No! I lost! Why must I talk so much?!

Sooooo, there is this thing happening in my country today that is filling me with so much anxiety that I might EXPLODE. And I really wanted some way to channel that energy positively. So... I thought maybe some fangirling? I'm really loving this game and playing with all of you, so I have lots of nice things to say!

( Alex, Alison, Carrie, Crystal, Emily, Heather, Josie, Julie, Katie, Lari, Millie, Natasha, Patricia, Sarah, Tessa... )

Just wanted to let you all know that I've just heard from my doctor about my neck. Looks like I have to meet with an orthopedic surgeon and possibly have physical therapy. In the meantime, I'll be taking painkillers again, but the ones that make me moronic will probably only be taken before bed. So, that's a plus.

Generally, however, my feelings about this situation are summed up by Elena's icon on this post.

Hello all! Becca here, and I have TWO new characters to introduce (at least now I've hit the character limit and you'll never have to hear one of these from me again).

This lovely lady is Mademoiselle Elodie Chevalier. Elodie is like... well, some people might say that she is the French Hermione, but I prefer to think of her as the French Rory Gilmore. Her mother was a Pureblood teenager who got pregnant by a Muggleborn and her parents disowned her. And then Elodie's dad left before she was even born. So, it's always been just the two of them and Elodie's mother has worked really to build a successful cafe business in Paris.

Elodie feels like she has something to prove to the people who abandoned her, so she can come off as a liiiiiiiiittle bit type-A. She gets very good marks, plays violin, plays Seeker for the Alouettes, is the Head of Class (7E), and strives to maintain a neat and stylish appearance at all times. She needs friends who can help her relax and not worry about the future all the time! She can be fun, I promise, she just gets a little caught up in things (Carrie, I was thinking she and Sophie particularly might be BFFs??). She really wants to be Champion and will be disappointed when Fleur is picked. Oh, and, also, she began dating Calvin Fawcett over the summer and maaaybe didn't mention that she was coming to Hogwarts (maybe because she has trust/abandonment issues and wanted to test him). More about Elodie is here.

The second intro is for Miss Elena Gregorovitch (caffiendishly), who is basically the polar opposite of Elodie. Elena is the granddaughter of the famous wandmaker. She was raised in Berlin with her family and for most of her life the Muggle quarters of the city were seperated by the Berlin Wall. Elena's very dry, very deadpan, and somewhat apathetic. Her approach to life is usually to do just enough to get by and not a lot more. She's a classic underachiever and an equal-opportunity offender (she's almost definitely going to make fun of you, but she's so deadpan that you might not notice). She's not mean, however, usually, just observant and prone to pointing out how ridiculous all people are. She's really into coffee. Like, really. And her best friend is Yakov. She's a beater for the Red team. Oh! And she's the youngest student on the Durmstrang delegation. Her 17th birthday is TODAY! Halloween! You can read more about her here.

They both need stuff! Friends, enemies, etc. LET'S DO IT.

This is my official notice, but maybe some of you have already noticed that I haven't been around for a week or so? I hurt my neck last week and had to go to the emergency room. Have been knocked out on pain killers and muscle relaxers ever since. Nothing serious (they said), just really painful and the drugs make me super groggy. I spent the first four days back from the hospital asleep. Getting a bit more used to the meds, but the pain unfortunately isn't going away... which means more doctors and tests.

Anyway, I'll likely be in and out when I feel awake enough <3

It's true! I have a third character! Her name is Ava Rosier and she's a Gryffindor 7th year. Things you should know about her include...

• Yes, her father was Evan Rosier the Death Eater who was killed by none other than our DADA professor. Her father was killed when she was almost four and her mother died when she was born. She was raised by her paternal grandparents.

• She's actually a halfblood, but you think she's a pureblood. Her mother, Lucia, was a Muggleborn witch from Puerto Rico who Evan met on a year of traveling after finishing school. After angering an old woman in Lucia's village, Evan was placed under a love spell to teach him the error of his ways and bigotry. He got Lucia pregnant, married her, and brought her back to England. His parents arranged for her to have a false identity as a pureblood. And then they arranged for her to take a little fall down the stairs.

• Ava loved her father and he loved her even though he went back to his Death Eating, blood purist ways after her mother died and the spell was broken. She is very freaked out by Moody's presence (and the way he keeps staring at her), but trying to ignore it.

• She's a very conflicted girl because she's been raised to think that pure blood is the only acceptable kind of blood and that her blood is lacking. Having internalized this, she is not outwardly purist but suffers from a lot of self-loathing and insecurity. As such, she is rather quiet and introspective, but if you manage to get past her walls she is funny, and dry, and very kind.

• She is expected to keep her true bloodline a secret and marry pure, otherwise her grandparents (who make no secret of hating her), will toss her out on the streets. They've been trying to set her up with men old enough to be her grandfather.

• Her best friend is Ruby Robins! If you're mean to Ruby, Ava probably doesn't like you.

• She has a crush on Jules. Yes, Jules.

Anyway, her backstory and personality are REALLY hard to summarize since the whole thing is kind of complicated and dark and crazy, so if you're interested please read her app! Housemates? Other friends? People who hate her based on her name alone? Purebloods who grew up with her? People her grandparents might try to marry her off to? HIT ME WITH YER PLOTZ.

Edit: OH! And today, October 9th, is her birthday!!

Hello lovelies,

Today (August 28th) is Stella's 16th birthday! As you may have seen from Stella and Calvin's conversation on her journal, she decided to have a birthday party. She has decided to keep on with it despite the QWC debacle because she thinks maybe people need a distraction? Stella likes distractions.

All the 6th year Puffs and Claws were invited, along with Alicia, Angelina, Katie, Vicky, the Weasley twins, Lee, Warrington (because of Hamish), Orsino, Jules (for politeness sake as he is her brother's roommate), Samantha, Demelza, Cho, and Marietta. The party will be in a rented room at venue in Wizarding London (someone creative come up with a name??) and there will be food and music and booze for those of age. Stella is not of age. She will manage to get quite tipsy anyway.

Feel free to do threads or mention it in journals or send Stella gifts, says Stella. xoxo

Hello! Becca here again with my second little cherub. This one is Amelia Higgs, Slytherin 5th year. Hmmm... things you should know about Amelia...

• Most people call her Amelia, but her close friends can call her Amy.
• Her older brother is Terence Higgs, who will hopefully be in play soon.
• She is generally quite diplomatic (despite actually being deeply irritated with lots and lots of people), and will be friendly enough because she doesn't like to burn her bridges when she might need something from someone later.
• However, she can be caustic if sufficiently annoyed.
• Her best friend is Allegra Flint.
• She's got a real natural gift for Divination but she doesn't really know how to control or interpret her skills. She's always had difficulty sleeping and an odd sense of déjà vu, both of which stem from predictive dreams that she doesn't know she has as she can never remember what she dreams about.
• She is annoyingly perceptive about people, even when they don't want her to be.
• She recently dumped Roger Davies after a six month relationship. At this point, most people probably know they were together but don't yet know they've split up. (If you've any interest in playing an acrimonious teenage break-up, app Roger!)
• Also, she is very, very allergic to cats and has to take a potion from Pomfrey every day. Some people think she has a potion addiction or a terminal disease. She doesn't.

And that's that! Let's plot! Friends, people who have successfully naffed her off, etc!

Hello! I am Becca and this is Stella Fawcett! Just a quick note before I start talking about the one of us who is more important (Stella, obviously), I am currently on holiday in Europe and won't be back to my normal timezone or on an actual computer for about another week. Stella is also in Europe visiting her family and won't return until after the QWC (though she may appear on the journals before then of I get bored when I get home and decide to have her father send her one with her school books :P).

Anyway, Stella is a 6th year Ravenclaw. She is pureblooded but very multi-cultural (each of her grandparents is from a different country). She's not purist and doesn't really have time to think about blood politics. You see, Stella's mother is sick with manic-depression which she refuses treatment for. This means that Stella's life is a bit of a roller coaster (and means she can suddenly be a bit moody instead of her normal, friendly self). She has an older brother named Calvin, who will hopefully be in play sometime soon, he is a 7th year Slytherin. She is very musical and loves to sing and tinker with any instrument she can get her hands on. She is also a little boy crazy.

She is friendly! Let's be friends!