"Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures."
-- Henry Ward Beecher
Your Nickname: Erika
Have you read and do you agree to the Code of Conduct?: Yup
How did you find us and decide to write with us? Been here, done that....
If you have written other characters here, list them all: Myrni, Hayden, Grace, Maeve, Ian, Blake, Melanthe
Full Character Name: Venora Camille MacGregor
Character Birthday & Age: March 30, 1997 / 12
City & Country of Birth: London, England
Pureblood, Halfblood or Muggleborn: Both of her parents are magical, but they are both also halfblood
House & Year: Hufflepuff, 2nd Year
Wand:10" springy cedar with a smooth shaft and a unicorn tail core. The wand is Venora's mother's and there was concern in the beginning if it was truly well suited for her or had "chosen" her. Her mother was an auror and had been a quite proficient in defensive magic. But the wand also has love magic as something it is good for (obviously overshadowed by its other uses other uses) which fits Venora especially well.
Physical Description:Venora is a skinny girl who looks like she may grow up to have her daddy's height, complimented by her mother's plain but lovely features. At present, this manifests itself in a scrawny awkwardness that she manages to cover up well with clothing. Her face, however, still manages to maintain a bit of pudgy-ness, with round cheeks and full lips. Her thick, wavy brown hair frames a pair of gray eyes (even when she has it cut short in its current style). She has always had a naturally expressive face, wearing her heart on her sleeve. She has often been told that she strongly resembles her mother in looks.
Style wise, during her childhood and first year at Hogwarts, Venora dressed as quite the little fashion plate. Most of this was attributed to the fashionable women who have been in her life. Stories of her mother always included a mention that she was wearing something stylish, with an affinity for hats, which Venora latched onto for a while. She also encorporated into her wardrobe her maternal grandmother's love for vibrant color. Often it manifested itself in wearing frilly dresses, tights, shoes, ribbons and bows with reckless abandon.
Towards the end of her first year of school, Venora started to branch out from this and began to show one that reflected her artistic nature. It turned out that hidden under all of the the overproduced style she thought she should have was a quirky young lady. It's clear that she is a bohemian in the making.
There are also signs at the start of her second year that Venora may be an early bloomer as far as puberty is concerned.
Personality Description:Venora is a young girl who is defined by her incredible openness. She thrives on meeting new people and engaging in a variety of experiences. She is inventive and curious, with an appreciation for art and a sensitivity to beauty. She has a vivid (and at times, very overactive) imagination. In her younger years, she would spend hours upon hours in her room by herself with dolls creating her own little world with elaborate stories and ideas. Everything from playing house to hosting tea parties. Through this, she is an avid reader but more in the artistic sense and not really for the purposes of being studious.
Venora also tends to be a little girl who is known for her spontaneous behavior. This doesn't necessarily mean that she is overly daring, but when she acts, it is usually not with much conscientious thought. She is more like her father in this regard: an easy going and sometimes unintentionally careless person. She is not always prepared for class, she's not meticulous in the work that she does, she's not a stickler for order or even a schedule and, unless it's artistically related, she rarely pays attention to details.
Surprisingly, she is very outgoing and energetic, something that many feel is merely an act, especially when they learn of the tragedy of her story. Again, nurtured by her father who himself is a very positive individual, Venora exhibits these traits in abundance. She is full of energy and actively seeks stimulation in the company of others. She is enthusiastic and action oriented and never shys away from saying "Yes!" or "Let's go!" to opportunities for excitement. She likes to talk and assert herself and doesn't mind being the center of attention or simply tagging along where necessary, as long as something fun is in store.
As can be expected, Venora is quite agreeable within social interactions. She tends to be more friendly, compassionate and cooperative than competitively outspoken, suspicious or antagonistic towards others. She has a general concern for social harmony and values getting along with others. Considerate, friendly, generous and helpful are all words that suit her well.
History:Venora is the second child of Hayden MacGregor and Kyla Agnew. Both of her parents have magical abilities, but they come from halfblooded roots. Her parents met like many others: as Hogwart's Sweethearts and they married not long after finishing school. Her father mostly worked odd jobs to start and her mother began her training as an auror. This was interrupted by Camden's birth in late 1994 and Venora arrived three years later. While the young family struggled to make ends meet and create a home, they appeared to be intrinsically happy.
Unfortunately, this happiness was stinted as during the Battle of Hogwart's, a freshly trained Kyla perished in the fight to take down the Dark Lord and his followers. Kyla's death devastated Hayden at first and he struggled to make sense of his life without her. Even though he didn't outright neglect Cam and Ven, it was clear that he was not prepared to be a single parent and there were times when the stress clearly got to him.
Luckily, Hayden found a support system in his parents. Hayden and the children eventually moved from their home in Scotland to London so as to be closer to Camille and Nial. It was at this time that Hayden also took up work in his mother's shop, Simply Charming, and it was a welcome reprieve from his grief. He would eventually take over the business when his mother "retired" and he still runs it today.
Despite the loss of their mother, it seemed that his children showed great resiliency, at least initially. The adjustment to life without a mother was helped by their youth and the presence of their doting grandparents. With Hayden's own stress minimized, he was able to focus once again on being a positive father figure for them.
Venora's own adjustment and sense of security hinged greatly on her attachment to both her father and her grandmother. While her brother struggled--rebelling and acting out--Venora thrived under their nurturing influence. The disposition and sense of security she has today can be attributed to that.
Early on in her childhood, it was easy to see that Venora was artistically inclined and that she used it to express herself. Her creativity allowed her to retreat into herself for endless hours of play and in this sense, she was able to concoct a magical world of her own, long before she became aware of what it truly meant to be magical.
Eventually, Venora did come to understand her magical legacy, especially when big brother Camden went off to Hogwart's. Venora began to spend more time in the shop with her father and she anxiously awaited the day that she would head off to school as well.
How Do You Fit Into Your House?:Venora is not especially brave or daring to fit with Gryffindor and she's not exactly the brainiac to be a fit with Ravenclaw. And she hardly has an evil bone in her body to allow her any in roads into Slytherin. So like her daddy before her, her place is in the House of Helga. In true Hufflepuff form, Venora seems to be a person who treads down the middle of any extremes. She's extraordinary in how ordinary she seems to be.
Sum up your character in one paragraph:Despite her personal tragedy, Venora is a well adjusted and happy little girl. For some, she can border on too happy. But if one focused on the extraordinary loss that she has lived through, they would fail to see the unique little girl that has been created out of those circumstances. Already at her tender young age, she displays a certain amount of security in who she is and knowing her place in the world. But she is also full of the elements intrinsic to human frailty, and this vulnerability in the right setting can make her fairly endearing to those she meets. She is full of whimsy, simplicity and the idealistic innocence of the child that she is, as she looks at her world with wonder and excitement.
Venora MacGregor: Second Year Hufflepuff