Your Nickname: Jessica
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? Other
If you have written other characters here: Yes
If Yes, list them all: Akiva Katz-Eleor, Archer Radley, Jordyn Dimbleby, Margo Amherst, Josephine St. Just, Coralie Malkin, Primrose Woolfolk, Indi Kemp, Alina Dalca-Pratt
Is this a Primary or Secondary Character?: Secondary

Full Character Name: Carol Nickels-Kemp
Character Birthday & Age: 65; December 1, 1946
City & Country of Birth: London, England
Blood Purity: Muggleborn
Alma Mater: Hogwarts, Ravenclaw
Job/Position: Midwife, Yoga Instructor

Wand: Unicorn hair core, incredibly flexible and springy, spruce wood, approximately 9.5” in length, unremarkable but well cared for. 

Physical Description:
Carol Kemp is a fit woman who is more comfortable in work out clothing than anything else.  She is often seen in her yoga gear or her gardening clothing.  If she has to dress in anything but something that can get covered in sweat, dirt, or bodily fluids of any nature, she is usually wearing loose and light fabrics.  She prefers bold colors, rich patterns, and accessories.  You’d be hard pressed to find her without bracelets, necklaces, earrings, glasses, or a scarf at any given time.  Many of these things have healing properties, stones or runes she might need at a moment’s notice. 

She is around five feet and seven inches tall, and looks younger than she actually is.  Years of exercise and natural living have lessened the effects of aging on her and her husband.  Carol has very curly, wild hair.  She prefers to leave it natural, streaks of grey are a source of pride for the woman – signs she is living her life to the fullest, obviously.  These feelings are also shared about the lines on her face.

Personality Description:
Having internalized much of the teaching about midwifery and yoga, Carol is, above all things, calm, centered, and understanding.  Slow to anger and endlessly patient, Carol is open-minded and openhearted.  She may, to some, seem completely out of touch with the rest of reality.  There’s no topic beyond touching for Carol and anything she needs to say, she will say.  This is not that Carol is ever rude, not at all, she is just unafraid to be honest.  She doesn’t believe in holding feelings in, and to that line, she is unafraid to confront difficult conversations and interactions with people.  She’d rather leave everything out in the open than store up bad energy.   

This openness is translates to a very hands-on nature.  Carol is a touchy-feely person, always willing to provide a hug or a spinal alignment to balance your chakras.  It also comes from having to sometimes get up close and personal with her clients, in both birth and yoga class.  She is actually nearly impossible to embarrass.  Test her.  You’ll see.  She has legitimately seen everything there is to see in terms of the human experience.  This makes her incredibly suited as a midwife as she makes all the horrible (i.e. disgusting) things about childbirth seem inconsequential.  This is due in part to her endlessly positive attitude and acceptance of all people.  As a result, she doesn’t believe in keeping things from people. 

All of these qualities are most obviously when it comes to her daughter, Indica.  From a young age, Indi has been exposed to all of the new age teachings of her mother and they share their love of social justice.  They are both generous and vibrant.  By following her passions, she has taught her daughter to do the same.  Their family’s mantra seems to be “be the best version of you, no one else can!” 

History:
Truthfully, most of who Carol is today is due to her upbringing.  Her mother was a muggle midwife, her father was a florist.  They lived a comfortable life in London, never wanting for anything and embracing all this was natural in their lives.  Vegetarian and yoga-enthusiasts long before it came into fashion, they weren’t even entirely surprised when a letter came indicating that their daughter was a witch. 

They did not hesitate to allow her attend this school, supposing that it would be more aligned to their practices than a regular public school in London would be anyway!  When they asked questions and found their daughter would be leanring how to work with natural ingredients, growing her own healing plants, and accessing ancient magics, well, they were all for it.  It was perhaps the first time in a long time parents asked if they could accompany their child and study with her.  They were denied, but Carol was embraced.
 
At school, she was sorted into Ravenclaw.  Not like the more studious of her house, Carol was a dreamy person who pursued her interests and very little else.  She was a strong student in herbology, potions, and divination. 

Upon graduating, Carol took her studies to an independent midwife.  She always admired her mother and wanted to do the same work in a new way, plus there were so many things she could do!  Her apprenticeship was hard won and perfectly suited for her.  But after a few years, Carol grew restless.  She wanted to do other things too. So, she started traveling. 

Making her way through southern Asia, particularly India, Carol studied yoga with different teachers all through the continent before moving on to South America, spending a significant time in Peru and Ecuador before she came back to England to incorporate all of the things she learned into a midwifery practice that was all her own.  Although she had to initially work within a network of other midwives to gain legitimacy, Carol soon formed her own reputation and was operating out of her home where she also ran yoga classes for her prenatal clients. 

All the while she was learning to grow magical plants – particularly those with medicinal (and recreational) qualities.  These were mostly for patients, but Carol was not immune to the role they played in her life.  She had become content with her existence; having several cats and a garden, when Jeffrey Kemp entered her life she didn’t expect it.  He was a chef and they fell in love rather rapidly, sharing many ideas about life and society. 

Many years into their relationship, they decided to adopt a daughter, and Indica was adopted from Seoul, Korea.  Carol vowed to be the kind of mother her mother was, completely open and honest with her child.  Endlessly encouraging, she would take her along on whatever she was doing.  Living in London, they’ve raised Indica alongside continuing their lives.  While they love their daughter, they did not let her become the only thing in their life.  Carol and Jeffrey have a very healthy marriage (Indica could testify to this). 

Describe your job duties and how you go about them:
As a midwife, Carol is responsible for the prenatal care of her patients and the successful delivery of babies.  She holds classes on the birthing process as well as post-birth care for both mom and baby.  She has a holistic approach to her job.  She is endlessly truthful and does not sugarcoat any part of the process.  This does not mean she has poor bedside manner, in fact, she is the warmest person – even when explaining potential tearing as a result of an oversized head or repositioning your hips during a sequence to make sure you won’t hurt your back.  She is very hands on, but something about her personality makes most people comfortable with her.

Outside of the physical requirements of birthing, Carol also counsels her clients about healthy lifestyles during the pregnancy.  She recommends a healthy diet and exercise to her clients.  As a result, she also holds prenatal yoga classes for mothers-to-be of all skill levels and experience.  When she is teaching yoga, she is mindful of the comfort of each of her clients. 

After birth, Carol keeps in touch with her clients as much as they are comfortable with.  She is happy to discuss methods of contraception and family planning with the families she works with following the birth, in case that is of interest to them.  She also provides herbal supplements to help with post-baby pain.

Elaborate on your expertise in your field:
Carol’s mother was a muggle midwife, so she learned many of the tricks of the trade from her.  Additionally, she apprenticed for several years after Hogwarts.  When she grew restless, she travelled around the world studying yoga in different communities to build up her knowledge of the practice.  When she returned to England, she continued to work with other midwives before she started gaining her own clients and was able to work out of her home and other studios for yoga classes. 

At Hogwarts she was very skilled at herbology and has a rooftop garden.  She's had this for many years and has perfected the growth of many healing supplements for her patients.  It is all completely legal under her midwifery license, obviously. 

She has delivered hundreds of babies at this point.  This isn't just because she is good at what she does, it is because she is warm, open, and completely honest with her clients.  She has a great bedside manner and is very good at making people comfortable, which is especially important for women in labor.  She treats all of her clients as individuals and tries to meet their needs where they are in their pregnancy journey.

Writing Sample:
Nope! Not today, Satan. Not today.

Sum up your character in one paragraph:
Carol is Indica Kemp’s mother and a midwife in London.  Her practice relies on the hundreds of years of history and practice of midwives before her.  She also incorporates the yoga training she received on her travels in her early twenties.  Carol has a number of hobbies including gardening, crafting, and teaching regular yoga on top of what she does with her clients.  You can ask Carol anything (and I mean anything) and she will answer.  She is impossible to embarrass, appreciates the spirits of others, and is endlessly truthful and cheerful.