Accepted! ~Elle

Your Nickname: Maxy
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If you have written other characters here: Yes
If Yes, list them all: Regina Grayson - Fifth Year Gryffindor
Is this a Primary or Secondary Character?: Primary

Full Character Name: Flannery Eudora Breckinridge
Character Birthday & Age: September 15th, 1984 / 24 Years Old
City & Country of Birth: Ithaca, New York, USA
Blood Purity: Halfblood
Alma Mater: Salem Witches Institute of Magic; Laevenstrome's Fundunct of Sorcery
Job/Position: Unspeakable-in-Training (Potion & Herbological Research Office)

Wand: Flannery possesses a finely-crafted Ebony wand that is approximately 11 inches long. The core is a special one; a chimera scale that was provided by her mother (as tradition dictates in their family). Very rare, it has been passed down to each first born Breckinridge daughter from generation to generation.

Other details include a supple, smooth shaft and a handle that possesses intricate grooves, providing an ample grip.

Physical Description: There was a time when Flannery resembled a, for lack of a better word, "librarian". Frizzy hair, thick-framed glasses, and a tendency to wear her skirts way too high for a girl her age contributed to her overall geeky appearance. But sometime during her transition from secondary to collegiate schooling, she made a drastic change, and since then has never looked back.

With a height of 5'6", Flannery certainly won't be winning any "Who's-the-tallest-girl-in-the-land" contests. But hey, who cares? Towering over others is overrated! Now, her hair. It's... short. Like, just-barely-past-her-ears-on-the-sides-but-slightly-longer-in-the-back short, if that makes sense. It was part of her vow to reinvent her look. The formerly frizzy hairstyle was doing her no favors, so she straightened it out with a spell or two until it was just right. Brown in color, but looking more blondish in certain light sources, she's been quite satisfied with the results (though she has to remember to sort it out whenever the frizziness threatens to rear its ugly head).

From her mother she gets her crystal blue eyes, a trait that has become a staple of all Breckinridge witches. They can be described as squinty, as if she's perpetually scrutinizing everything. The glasses they used to be behind are long gone. Instead, she relies on muggle contacts prescribed to her by her father. She deems this to be one of the major steps forward in her transformation from "geek to chic". Though she still keeps a pair of glasses on her person at all times as a precaution.

Her build used to be slight. But due to repeated exercise of medium intensity she has developed a sporty, well-toned body. While she isn't rippling with muscles, she no longer looks as if a single gust of wind will send her gliding away. She has a muggle gym near her flat to thank for this stunning development. Oh, and a well-balanced diet, too.

Clothes! She honestly mixes and matches wizarding and muggle styles. Beneath her cloaks she can be found wearing flowery dresses, blouses, and nice shoes; out of the work setting, anyway. She dresses a bit more professional when on the clock, mimicking a modern working witch who has aspirations of breaking the perceived glass ceiling above her. Look out world!

Personality Description: Though she may have gone to great lengths to change her physical appearance, Flannery is very much still the same person she was before. Pro-active by nature, she is not content with sitting around waiting for others to do things. She enjoys taking charge of situations... within reason. She's someone who is well-aware of her limits. Flannery won't shoot for the impossible; that would be utterly unrealistic. No, she much prefers to aim for more achievable outcomes. This makes her neither an optimist nor pessimist. Just someone who will just as readily accept failure as she does success. It is, after all, a part of life, and no one can be an absolute winner all of the time unfortunately.

Yes, there is no such thing as "inbetween" for Flannery. No "almosts" or "nearly theres". This mindset is a big part of why she never settles for doing things halfway. If you're not going to pursue something you start to the fullest, then why on earth did you even consider it in the first place? This witch certainly has no qualms about telling this to others, which in turn does little for her in the way of friendship. Problem is she doesn't realize how off-putting her words can be. Telling someone to step down if they're not going to do their job properly is a serious slap in the face as one can imagine. And to have it coming from some American girl? Yeah. Not pretty at all.

However, she's not a complete pill. Hidden beneath is a young woman who still feels the need to "break out" every now and then. Unfortunately, this tends to manifest itself in less than savory ways. Like mild kleptomania. Oh yes. Ever since her youth she's been a knicker of items that do not explicitly belong to her. It's a nasty habit that has followed her into her adult years. On the plus side the items usually aren't particularly valuable. She's comfortable with snatching anything from ink pens to entire bowls of those complimentary candies laid out in office waiting areas. Furthermore, her years at the liberal Laevenstrome's taught her how to loosen her tightly wound persona when no one was looking. She got a taste of activism from her peers, and thus was secretly responsible for a few incidents of retaliation against the more conservative officials who sometimes visited to cast their negative opinions on the school. As such, she is quite adept at opposing views she does not agree with without drawing unwanted attention to herself.

You could say that she puts on a front to keep the aforementioned "silent rebel" side of her hidden away. Her family naturally knows nothing of it, only seeing her as a driven, ambitious witch just like all of those belonging to the Breckinridge line. Oh, if they only knew the truth! She adores them too much to let that happen. While she's sure her father and mother would not mind much, her grandmother and her various other relatives would likely die of shame on the spot. Thus, she keeps up the facade, not matter how great the strain is starting to become.

History: Born in Ithaca, New York on September 15th of 1984 to Reginald Hamilton and Octavia Breckinridge, Flannery became the newest addition in a long line of influential witches throughout history. Octavia was a talented witch who met and fell in love with Reginald, a muggle optometrist who naturally knew nothing of magic. The union was frowned upon by most of the Breckinridges; most especially by Octavia's mother, Zarathustra. But once Flannery arrived, the elder witch seemed to be appeased. "At least you two didn't produce a male!" She exclaimed scornfully, prompting Octavia to explain to her puzzled husband that there had not been a male born within the Breckinridge family for over a century. It was also tradition that each woman within the line retain their maiden name. Needless to say, when Reginald called the practice "ancient and a bit silly" it took Octavia standing in front of him to stop Zarathustra from transfiguring him into a lump of coal.

And so began family life for the new parents. With Zarathustra's frequent visits to check up on her granddaughter and the subsequent disagreements over Flannery's upbringing, it proved to be no easy task. But the couple remained strong and weathered the obstacles, raising her with just the right combination of love and discipline. By the age of six Flannery was discovered to be a bright, inquisitive child with a knack for academics. Though she had her fair share of bullies, she did not let them deter her from whatever pursuits struck her fancy.

Thankfully, there was little doubt that she was going to be a witch like her mother and grandmother. She displayed her abilities well-before her entry into Salem Witches Institute, the alma mater of all the Breckinridges. Clutching the shiny new wand she marched into the school when the time came with her head held high, intent on living up to her family's legacy. Her initial years were wrought with intense study and little socializing. Again she found herself the target of bullies, though these were a bit more difficult to ignore since they were privy to tossing out jinxes and hexes. Frustrated, she hit back at them in a most unusual way: pilfering their things. That shiny new quill they were absolutely certain they'd packed? Gone. The home-made sweater dear old mom had knitted for the coming winter season? Missing without a trace. It helped greatly that no one suspect someone of Flannery's caliber to be capable of such acts. If anything she relished in their befuddled looks, knowing that they would likely never find what was once theirs.

Taking the SMART in her third year landed her in Agrippa, a house that her grandmother had been a proud member of. It was also during this time that she started to develop her skill in Potions. While most of her classmates preferred waving their wands around, she quickly discovered that a well-made concoction could do just as much damage as any spell out there. With the help of her instructor and further nurturing by her grandmother, Flannery progressed to advanced level potions in a very short period of time. Before she knew it the end of her schooling at Salem soon came and saw her scoring extremely well on her ADEPTs, ranking even with the previous high mark set by her own mother.

There was little hesitation about what she would do next. Though her grandmother opposed it for various reasons, Flannery went with her gut and enrolled at Laevenstrome's Fundunct of Sorcery with a focus in Potions. She desperately wanted to advance herself further in the field, and Laevenstrome was definitely the place to do it. She moved herself across the country to live on campus, wanting to full experience instead of apparating or flooing daily. What she found was an atmosphere that was completely different from what she was used to. People were more open and expressive, valuing each others opinions. It took her awhile to adjust, though in time she found herself conforming to the ways of the school and shedding what little prejudices she may have held. She even made friends! Real friends! When she returned after her first term was done she realized how stuffy and conservative her grandmother (and to a lesser extent her parents) were. And it drove her absolutely mad. But she fought hard to censor herself, hiding her distaste for the way her grandmother and her ilk talked of certain things. Why couldn't they just open their eyes and stop being so damn closed off? When it came time for her to return to Laevenstrome she internally rejoiced. And you know what else? It was time for a complete makeover. Tossing out her old wardrobe for something more fashionable and making some much needed alterations to her appearance, she stood before her dorm room mirror looking like a brand new person. It felt good.

But like all good things, her time there eventually ceased once she graduated with her much coveted Potions degree. She was lucky enough to be recommended by one of her professors for a rigorous yet rewarding apprenticeship with a master Potioneer in Washington. There she gained experience in the real world, learning what worked and what didn't work, sometimes the hard way. When her apprenticeship ended she quickly sought out another... and another... and so on. She bounced around the U.S. haphazardly, picking up different methods from various masters and mistresses of the art. She would have gone on doing this longer had her grandmother not badgered her parents into calling her home immediately. Apparently there was a perfectly nice wizard whose family was heavily affiliated with the Breckinridges. She knew what was happening before the words "arranged marriage" were even spoken. Her parents protested it of course, stating that their daughter be allowed to marry whomever she chose. Zarathustra didn't like that notion much, of course, and a terrible row started that lasted well into the night. As Flannery sat up in her childhood room, she knew she had to get out. And fast.

A few hastily written letters during the coming weeks proved to be her salvation. One evening an owl arrived in her window, clutching a very official looking envelope with her full name scrawled across it. Opening it up she carefully read the contents and was shocked by what was written. The letter was from the British Ministry of Magic, commending her hard work up to this point and formally extending the opportunity to travel to London where she would take up a position as an Unspeakable within the organization's Department of Mysteries' Potion & Herbological Research Office sector. Apparently the same professor from Laevenstrome had recommended her and took it upon himself to forward the necessary credentials to prove the validity of her accomplishments. She had to reread the letter a few times before it finally sank in.

England! She was going to England!

The following morning she informed her parents and grandmother of the news. And like expected, her parents agreed while her grandmother staunchly disagreed. She reasoned with the hard-nosed woman that it was an opportunity not to be passed up. That the British Ministry wanted her. Her! Zarathustra still did not budge, and finally Flannery could do nothing but inform her that she'd already accepted and that the matter was final. The screeches that followed were highly unpleasant, but she didn't care. She was going far, far away from here, and as long as her parents supported her, she'd be just fine.

Packing her things and saying her goodbyes was undoubtedly hard. Though she managed not to tear up too much, and upon grabbing onto the portkey designated for her trip across the pond she was whisked away to jolly ole' England where a life without crazy old grandmothers and arranged marriages awaited her. With the money she saved up from her various apprenticeships she purchased a small flat in the heart of downtown London, blending in with the other young upstarts that populated the area. She wasted no time diving head first into her training as an Unspeakable, approaching it with the same voracity for which she had always been associated with.

Currently still completing her training, she is immensely enjoying every single moment of her continued independence.

Describe your job duties and how you go about them: Flannery is an Unspeakable-in-Training for the Potion & Herbological Research Office within the Department of Mysteries. It's her job to aid in the research and advancement of any and all potions-related subjects. She regularly takes part in projects dealing with uncovering the mechanics behind experimental, unusual, or otherwise misunderstood elixirs and the like. She catalogs her findings then proceeds to write them up into a formal report that is to be handed in to the head of the department for a thorough review before it is then presented to the proper higher ups within the Ministry.

It is important the she remains unbiased when it comes to her work. Just because a potion may have sinister implications does not mean she can refuse to brew and study it. In this case, the pros vastly outweigh the cons.

Elaborate on your expertise in your field: Flannery has had extensive training when it comes to Potionmaking. Stretching way back into her secondary school days, she's always had an innate aptitude for the subject. Under the guidance of accomplished teachers (at Salem, Laevenstrome, and in the real world), she has developed a highly advanced stream of knowledge and competency that far exceeds the general dealings that most witches and wizards possess. Her time moving around the U.S. exposed her to a great deal of practices, including those of various Native American groups. She even spent some time under the tutelage of a renowned healing specialist, strengthening her ability in potions that can cure persistent ailments that are sometimes fatal.

And to top it off, there's her tenacity. Oh boy does she ever have an abundance of that.

Writing Sample: N/A; Already have a character.

Sum up your character in one paragraph: Focused, curious, and willing to go the extra mile, Flannery Breckinridge has come quite a long way from the bespectacled girl clutching a Potions text in the hallways of Salem Witches Institute. With a tendency to harp on the way things should be accomplished, she can at times resemble a battle-axe (like her grandmother). Though work does usually come first, don't count her out as incapable of indulging in play from time to time. If you require help in championing for a cause, look no farther. Just don't shout her name from the rooftops, will ya?