Your Nickname: Bud
Have you read and do you agree to the Code of Conduct?: Yes
Are you over thirteen? Yes
How did you find us and decide to write with us? Friend
If you have written other characters here: Yes
If Yes, list them all: Blossom Rose (student)
Leopold Sandusky Sr (professor, HoH)
Heinrich V J Faust (tournament student)
Jean-Claude Devereaux (Quidditch only)
Is this a Primary or Secondary Character?: Secondary

Full Character Name: Michael Styx
Character Birthday & Age: April 1st, 1979 (30 years old in 2009)
City & Country of Birth: Portsmouth, England
Blood Purity: Halfblood
Alma Mater: Hogwart's (Ravenclaw)
Job/Position: Field Agent/International Liaison WCU

Wand: Smooth and supple willow with a strand of unicorn tail.  Nine inches long.

Physical Description: Michael is a youthful looking 30, with eyes that are a startling colour of blue. They seem almost translucent, they are so pale. Those pale eyes seem to miss very little, and are constantly moving, unless they are fixed on a task. His hair is dirty blonde and he prefers to keep it above his collar.   It is difficult to not call it a 'mane' and it is one of the distinctive elements of his animagus (lion) form.  He has a neatly trimmed beard and mustache.  He is fractionally over six feet tall, with an athletic build.  Close examination of his face will reveal that at some point his nose was broken and almost perfectly reset.  If he is seen with his shirt off, he has a series of three parallel scars running diagonally across his stomach with the central scar catching the top of his navel.  They came from a spectacular crash into the viewing stands during his last Qudditch match.

Personality Description: It took Micheal most of his time in school to overcome his shyness and it took the help of several good friends to break him out of his shell.  Once out of that shell he became quite outgoing.  He has a tendency to assume that he is right all the time and occasionally needs to be reminded that he's not perfect.  He has the potential to become a good leader but needs to lose his habit of micro-focusing on his projects.  He collects vintage brooms as a hobby and plays a mean jazz saxophone.  He is a hopeless romantic, firmly believing in soul mates and love at first site.

History: Michael was almost educated at Beauxbaton, the school his Muggle mother (a lawyer) chose from all those available.   Michael's father pulled some strings and got him admitted to Hogwart's instead for his first year.  Initially afraid of flying, Micheal proved to be a natural and in his second year was drafted onto the Ravenclaw Quidditch team as the seeker, winning his first two games.  He was injured in both of them, the second one badly enough to require hospitalization and resulting in his stomach scarring.  His mother ended his Quidditch career at that point allowing him to 'retire' undefeated.  He dedicated the time freed up from Quidditch to learning how to become an animagus, finally completing the process during his final year at Hogwart's.

He applied to the WCU on the advice of a family friend and proved to be a useful addition to the squad.  A chance meeting in a hallway introduced him to a representative of the French WCU equivalent and his fluency in French won him the liaison position.  His job leaves him very little time for relationships but he makes an effort to keep in touch with old school friends.  Sadly, the woman he loves is involved in a loveless arranged marriage and both she and Michael are too honourable to engage in an affair.

Describe your job duties and how you go about them: Michael's job with the Werewolf Capture Unit is as a liaison with the French equivalent force.  The joint venture is meant to help monitor the transient werewolf population.  He is fluent in French and commutes across the channel using a multitude of means, both magical and Muggle in nature.

He lectures on the subject of werewolves and  animagi, teaching the difference between the two.

Elaborate on your expertise in your field: Michael's highest marks were in DADA and COMC, with potions running a close third.  He applied to the WCU on the advice of a family friend and after going through a grueling interview process, was offered a position as much on his animagus ability as on any other factor.  His fluency in French allowed him to apply and win the liaison position.

Writing Sample:

Sum up your character in one paragraph: Michael is an ambitious young man  and wants to rise up through the ranks of the WCU.  He knows his animagus  form keeps him safe from werewolf attacks and  he has a far more liberal  attitude towards them.  He is intended for use as an adult character and will also be used to fill in for Leopold Sandusky for any classes that involve animagus training.

Character Name: Michael Styx
Age: 30
Character Biography: As yet unapproved
Do any of your other Characters have Special Abilities?: No
If Yes, then Please provide their name and a link to their bio:
 
Special Ability: Animagus (Lion)
What level is this ability at?: Master
At what age did your character gain this ability?: 17
How did they learn or hone this ability?: Michael studied the ability during his time at Hogwart's, managing to perform his first transformation during the last half of his final year, in 1996.  

He has spent a great deal of his free time learning to use his transfigured shape to best advantage and has worked hard to integrate it into his werewolf capture unit squad.
Describe how the Special Ability influences their life.  What do they use it for?: Michael uses his ability to track and subdue transient werewolves who are out during the full moon.  Few werewolves are willing to tangle with a full grown lion and when they flee he is able to track them by scent.

Being able to take the shape of a lion has increased Michael's confidence considerably.  For him it is his ultimate ace in the hole.  He was quite pleased to be able to register with the MoM.  Michael considers his ability to be the ultimate example of how things can be achieved when you really put your mind to it.
Write a description of what happens when your character is exhibiting this Special Ability: There is a moment or two of adjustment as Michael's human mind recalibrates to deal with the altered sense of balance and increased sensory input.  After this he tends to enjoy the feeling of power and the hundredfold increase in the subtleties of what he can smell.

He tends to feel a little smaller after he returns to his normal shape and takes a few moments to go back to normal human interaction.

The most common reaction to his metamorphosis is an initial shock of fear, followed by intense interest, especially amongst children who have not yet learned to fear large animals.  Michael loves kids and is careful not to do anything that might injure one while he is in lion form.