Your Nickname: Nuri
Have you read and do you agree to the Code of Conduct?: 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: Vivienne Thorpe, Raine Almasy and Dietrich Eisenberg.
Is this a Primary or Secondary Character?: Secondary



Character Birthday & Age: 20th June, 1995. 14 years old.
City & Country of Birth: Riga, Latvia.
Pureblood, Halfblood or Muggleborn: Pureblood
House & Year: Durmstrang, 4th Year, Zufreiden.

Wand: 13 inches, bloodwood. Springy with intricately decorated shaft. Fairy hair core. Passed down from Great Grand Aunt, Beatrise Cihala.

Physical Description: Emilija resembles her mother, Aleksandra (née Kosyrev) Cihala. She is of average height for her age, though her build would be considered rather petite. Most people simply want to pick her up on sight because, in addition to her general demeanor, she is quite possibly the cutest thing to have ever come out of Latvia. Emi has mid-length, pale blonde hair. Her eyes are large and blue, like a doll’s.

Although not from a particularly wealthy family, Emilija dresses well. Out of uniform, her clothes are casual but always well put together. Neither graceful nor awkward, she carries herself with an unperturbed kind of cheerfulness: always smiling and always on the verge of jubilant. Her beauty is not remarkable at this point but she is pleasant to look at. Emilija does not appear to be very active, physically, but she is as hardworking as her classmates and hides a very disciplined physique underneath her easygoing façade.

This tiny girl’s most surprising feature, however, is her voice. It is normally quite feminine and cheerful, but it is also her most precious talent. Emi’s voice can be anything she wants it to be: melodious, sweet, harsh or even savage. She is told that there is Veela blood somewhere down the family tree, and that the relation lends her voice some charm, but this remains an unconfirmed supposition.


Personality Description: Most people would consider Emilija to be the baby of any group. Many of her friends are in the year above her and she is certainly an uncharacteristically amiable person, for someone from the Durmstrang Institute. One of her most noticeable attributes, though not always encouraged, is her team spirit. Once she picks a side, she sticks to it unerringly and with nothing less than exuberant optimism. Her fierce pride in the school itself is one of the many reasons she was chosen to come cheer for their Champions at the Tetra-Wizard Tournament.

Emilija’s juvenile liveliness may be her defining first impression, though other schoolmates know that there is more to the witch than frivolous displays of camaraderie. It takes a lot more than cheering to be among the best of the Zufrieden. Emi works at her specialties with all the ferocity and curiosity of a child starved for knowledge. She studies the intangible subjects as well as spellworks and her skill is surprisingly formidable for someone who does little to show it off. A good challenge brings out the best in her, in terms of diligence, but it also incites the worst: just like any immature child. If provoked, Emilija can be extremely astute in her retorts— her sweet temperament allows Emi the advantage of surprising an unsuspecting opponent.


In her free time, Emilija reads. Her time is well spent in libraries and she is more than just a lover of literature, as her interests extend to books of various genres. She is also keen on history and art. Emi’s most noted talent is her singing: she is a classically trained vocalist and a well-known songstress in her own country, where she tours over the summer with a group of similarly talented musicians. They perform in traditional Operatic concerts, typically attended by older European witches or wizards.

Emilija’s short-term goals involved climbing the social strata to become one of the Obertails. In the long-run, she is torn between wanting to pursue her career in the musical arts or finding a post more suited to her academic accomplishments.

Emi’s pureblood background does her little credit: she doesn’t care for mudbloods, considering them to be worth less than your average witch or wizard. Her views on half-bloods are neutral, if only because there are many half-blood families in her neighborhood and their children have become some of her closest childhood friends. Emilija rarely mixes with muggles and considers her lifestyle to be far removed from them, the way one is removed from an alien culture. She has taken attempts to understand their ways, mostly out of curiosity and through literature, but she still doesn’t think that they make much sense at all.


History: Emilija Cihala was born to an upper-middle class Latvian family in the summer of 1995, a year of great change in her household. Months before this date, Eduards and Aleksandra Cihala were amidst what might have a very messy divorce: it would be said years later that the birth of their first child had saved their marriage. Neither of them would object to such a statement. They were not a young couple… both were well into their thirties when Emi came along, tired of one another in the way most romantic relationships tend to grow stale. The introduction of a bubbly baby daughter had been precisely what they required.

CHILDHOOD

The Cihala family resided in a modest but beautiful home in the outskirts of Riga—as one of the few pureblood families within their neighborhood community, they were treated with respect and high regard. Emi was never lacking in companionship or friends, in spite of being an only child. A private teacher was brought in for her education in the fundamental subjects: language, mathematics, the arts and social studies. She attended group lessons for her musical instruments, the flute and the piano, but exhibited an extraordinary capacity for singing.

By the age of eight, Emi was taking part in local choirs and had begun on learning the basic Italian arias. Her parents decided to invest in the talent by sending her for vocal training with a specialist in the city center. It was an altogether pleasant childhood—industrious at times but this was only helped along by the girl’s naturally competitive nature.

DURMSTRANG

Emilija’s disposition, cheerful and lively, made easy work of finding her a social niche at Durmstrang Institute. Many of her friends in the Zufreiden were amiable and studious people. Conversely, her somber, more tacit classmates kept their distance at first. She was considered to be jovial and flippant—at least until the first of their examinations and challenges. Emi’s determination to succeed was made apparent, revealing an unexpectedly resilient core to her personality. She was not afraid to be aggressive when the opportunity arose.

Upon Emilija’s twelfth birthday, the Cihala family was informed that a prestigious Latvian troupe were interested in recruiting their daughter for their performances. As a result, Emi has spent her last two to three summers in her home country, touring with other magical singers and artists of similar ability. Many of them are older than her—consequently, she is habitually treated like a younger sister. Spoilt but also apprehended for childish behavior whenever it was expressed. They have helped her to instill a kind of professional discipline.


For the most part, Emi has had an uneventful life. Her schoolwork has only improved over time and she has learned to stay clear of adolescent drama (so far).

Most of the classmates in her own year have befriended Emi on the basis of her approachability and her strong, academic standing. They are rewarded by an unwavering sense of loyalty. She endears herself to older years by being charismatic, adorable and competitive--all at once. On the other hand, there are those who find her more irritating than they do charming.  It really is a love or hate situation.

Now in her fourth year at Durmstrang, Emilija is studying the intangible subjects and spellworks. Her grades are consistently high and she participates in various extracurricular activities: dueling, art and anything remotely relevant to music. She is particularly interested in history, mythology and the art of transfiguration. There has been talk of the possibility of a promotion to the Obertails, now that she is growing older and more experienced, but Emi feels that she must prove herself worthy through some extraordinary challenge before such a thing may happen.


Why Was The Student Allowed/Permitted To Attend The Tournament??: If you were to ask anyone at Durmstrang to select a student to cheer on their Champions for the tournament, Emi’s name would be the first one uttered. She possesses good standing among the older Obertails (mostly by knowing when to keep out of their business) and is an invariable source of support, should they need it. Her academic record allows her the luxury of being pulled out to another school for so long and she speaks English fluently, having frequently performed songs in the language. Emi’s exceptional sense of school loyalty what makes her stand out from many of the promising Zufreiden—and she was not shy about making this known in the year leading up to the Tournament.

Writing Sample: (see Vivienne's bio, if necessary)

Sum up your character in one paragraph: Emilija Cihala is a very adorable and amiable fourth year student at the Durmstrang Institute. As one of the Zufreiden however, she can be competitive or unexpectedly aggressive when challenged. Emi has a reputation for being a popular Songstress in her Latvian hometown; her sweet singing voice and doll-like eyes provide a convenient front for her to hide behind. She is extremely proud of her school and loyal to its champions: if you’re not with them, then you are against them.