(no subject)
PLAYER DETAILS
Name (or alias): Megan
LJ: mschneider
AIM SN: liddlevonskittle
BASE CHARACTER PROFILE -- PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE SHOULD ONLY BE ONE WORD ANSWERS (Except where noted.)
Name: Kalan Whitney
LJ: kalanwhitney
Played By/Physical Description: Gaspard Ulliel. He has a thin build, tops out at 5'11, with blue eyes and dark brown hair. He's pale, and most of the time lacks blemishes due to proper care taking of his skin.
Age/Birthdate: April 13th, 1989
Gender: Male
Wand: 9 inches, birch, dragon heartstring
Blood: Halfblood
Birthplace/Location: Manchester
Status or Class: Middle class
Pet Name/Species: Lysander, rat
OWL Scores (For 1-7th Years):
Astronomy: E
Charms: A
DADA: E
Herbology: E
History of Magic: E
Potions: O
Transfiguration: A
Ancient Runes: E
Arithmancy: O
NEWT Scores: (6th, 7th Years and Adults Only. Put N/A if not applicable):
Astronomy: O
Charms: E
DADA: E
Herbology: Dropped
History of Magic: Dropped
Potions: E
Transfiguration: A or E
Ancient Runes: E
Arithmancy: E
10 Words to describe your character: Secretive, Intelligent, Pessimistic, Doubtful, Moody, Bitter, Trustworthy, Loyal, Sarcastic, Vindictive
EXTENDED APPLICATION -- PLEASE DO AT LEAST A PARAGRAPH ON EACH OF THESE, UNLESS THEY ARE STATED TO BE OPTIONAL
Personality:
Kalan is a pessimist. Not to an extreme degree, but he’s more likely to look on the negative sides of things than the positive. The glass is half empty, etc. His predictions about how his marks will turn out are generally much lower than they actually wind up being. Kalan is more likely to leave a class following a test with the feeling of “Merlin, I bet I receive a Dreadful on that!” rather than a “Wow, I did great!”. He’s also not great at believing the best in people. He has a tendency to believe that their motives are less than friendly as a natural reaction. It’s nothing personal, he just doubts everyone.
Living alongside his stepmother led Kalan to be a slightly more guarded youth than most. The woman is the type to go after your every weakness and attack without mercy. Due to this, he’s less willing than most to let any weakness show. He’s not the sort of bloke who requests help when he needs it. Kalan prefers to succeed on his own, to have everyone think he can do everything on his own, and that he needs no help. Showing weakness is, quite simply, not allowed.
Kalan is a bit vindictive in that he’s also a firm believer in the idea that once you’ve done the crime, you should be prepared to take on the consequences. He doesn’t believe that everyone should, without a doubt, be convicted of the crimes they commit. Instead, it simply means that if you’re caught… then you deserve the punishment you’re dealt. The lesson to be learned here being that one should not get caught. This leads to both him being willing to distribute punishment to those who wrong him and him being a little more willing than some to bend the rules, although he generally tries to do so without being caught. Obviously, he’s not always successful.
Sarcasm is a bloke’s best mate. Or, at least, it was growing up in the Whitney household. He’s got a tendency to use sarcasm more often than is necessary due to the fact that it’s his main defense mechanism. Kalan developed it pretty well over the nine years he’s so far lived with his father due to numerous occasions when he needed a way to get his stepmother to lay off for a while. When in doubt, use sarcasm.
Another thing that became quite well developed was his ability to pick out other people’s faults in preparation for a time in which he might need to use those faults in a verbal assault. Kalan is much better at the verbal assault than the physical assault. He’s too thin for too much physical fighting, although he thinks it’s quite alright with him that he at least has the power to piss people off with his words. The only time that truly becomes a problem in his eyes are the times his verbal assaults on someone lead to a physical assault on him. Kalan is, frankly, not afraid to send a scathing comment or three at someone if he’s under the impression they deserve it. Or, sometimes, simply to get his way in a situation.
That’s not to say that he’s consistently mean to everyone he knows. Kalan has a tendency to be friendly towards those of the pureblooded sort. He’s especially nice if they’re a fellow Slytherin. He can get along fairly amiably with most Slytherins, even the few of them that aren’t pureblooded. He’s a bit less kind to the mudbloods, mostly, and acts as if he’s a bit above them. It’s another defense mechanism, this time used to keep the secret of his faulty bloodlines from the rest of the Hogwarts’ population. To those few that he considers actual friends, he can be outright friendly and fairly open. However, that sort is few and far between.
Strengths: Both magical and personality:
When it comes down to it, Kalan can be both incredibly loyal and trustworthy. Granted, most of the time, this only applies to people he cares about to some degree. Or, sometimes, when it’s in his best interest to keep the secret. It’s all reliant on circumstances, but when the circumstances are right…? He can keep a secret like no other and won’t play both sides of the line. Once he’s loyal to someone, or something, it stays that way. (Excluding extremely drastic occurrences that might change ones entire perspective on a person or cause.)
He’s also fairly intelligent. He adapts quickly to new situations, finding it easier to blend in than some might. Kalan is persistent when it comes to achieving his goals. He’s definitely in possession of the ambitious side of Slytherins. When he wants something, he wants it. He goes for it full steam, with no intentions of backing down. Not to say that he goes blindly rushing into something like a Gryffindor, but instead thinks things out and does a thorough planning job before hand. The ultimate goal may take longer to achieve that way, but he finds that it’s a lot more likely that you will achieve it when you do things properly.
Kalan’s strongest area when it comes to magic would be the classes that require one to think things through, know the best course of action, or revolve around remembering facts and figures. For example, potions comes fairly easy to him because he’s good at remembering the uses for different magical ingredients. Following instructions on how to properly mix a potion? Easy. Incredibly simple compared to things like transfiguring items into something else. He’s good with facts and figures. He’s got a pretty good memory, too. He may not be the sort to raise his hand constantly in class, but he usually knows the answer when he’s called on.
Weaknesses: Both magical and personality:
Moodiness is fairly common in Kalan. He has a tendency to let things get to him, sometimes, which will abruptly change his mood. He attempts not to show it, but it’s often obvious that he’s more sullen and upset than usual. He has a tendency to sulk about when feeling particularly moody, often choosing a spot to curl up and read in. Or, at least, to pretend to read in. Kalan also has trust issues. He’s unlikely to confide in someone when something is eating at him, its self preservation in his mind. He finds it hard to believe the best in people, preferring to proceed with caution and distrust. Most of the time, this ruins prospective friendships for the boy. It’s a bit hard to be friends with someone who’s constantly doubting your motives, after all. When it comes to being slighted, he tends to take action to get revenge. Whether it’s a well-practiced hex sent their way, a scathing comment, or occasionally even a (weak) punch.
It’s not that he’s particularly great at magic that leads him to have good marks, but the fact that he’s willing to work hard and practice often. In particular, Kalan has to work harder when it comes to Charms, Transfigurations, and DADA. The reason behind this is due to the fact that these subjects require more hands on, spell casting work. It’s harder for him to properly cast a charm, transfigure an object, or defend himself properly with a wand. He’s not half as good at the practical sections of the exams, although he does practice constantly to keep from letting his exam scores end up being dismal.
Fears/Motivations:
Kalan’s biggest fear is that he’ll be ostracized from the circles he currently runs in. He’s friendliest with his fellow Slytherins, his fellow purists, his “fellow” purebloods, etc. Basically, the majority of the people he’s friends with wouldn’t be so keen on being mates with him if they found out either of his secrets. Not very many pureblooded Slytherin purists enjoy socializing with a halfblood with bisexual tendencies, after all. He doesn’t have a tendency to make friends with those that would stick by him even if they did find out his secrets, which leaves him rather worried about what would happen if they were to find out. He’s a bit terrified of being completely alone at Hogwarts. He’s aware that he could always start over as far as friends go once he’s outside of the school walls, but he’s made too many enemies of mudbloods and students from other houses to feel completely secure in gaining friendships outside of the pureblood circles.
His motivation revolves around his father. If he’s smart enough, if he gets high enough marks, if he’s in good enough with the purebloods, if he’s done a good enough job at being the pureblooded son his father wished he was? Maybe his father will respect him more. It’s a silly reason to work your arse off, but it’s his main one. He also sees his accomplishments as a way out. If his act as a pureblood ends, he’ll have someway to support himself for when his father undoubtedly disowns him for good.
History:
To understand Kalan Whitney, one would need a thorough understanding of the way he was raised. More specifically, the values that his parents instilled upon him throughout his life. However, we’ll start from the very beginning. We’ll start with Melanie Caine, a young woman too wrapped up in her future as a nurse to spare much time for romance. Although, the occasional fling was bound to happen, as most young women (at one point or another in life) find themselves “madly in love” with a handsome bloke. It was a few years after Melanie left school, in 1988, at a time when she felt overworked and underappreciated.
On her day off, Melanie met Alexander Whitney in the middle of the park, where he was partaking in a walk accompanied by his canine companion. There was nothing strange about the bloke as far as she could see and, besides, he was quite handsome. She was taken with him in minutes, happily arranging another get together before meandering on her way. The chance encounter quickly turned into an ongoing affair that lasted several weeks before Melanie became aware of the fact that Alexander was, indeed, married. After throwing a wobbly, she promptly spat out the secret she’d been keeping for just over a week. Melanie was pregnant and the child was, undoubtedly, a Whitney.
Alexander disappeared soon after that, although she remained aware of his place of living. Melanie didn’t bother to approach him. Alexander Whitney was dead to her and she wanted her baby to have nothing to do with him. So, on April 13th, 1989, Melanie made no attempt to contact Alexander about the birth of their son. He was precious, amazing, adorable, and Melanie had trouble putting the little boy down for more than a few minutes. He was quickly dubbed “Kalan Caine” and properly adored by both his mother and his maternal grandparents.
Kalan lived the first seven years of his life as a muggle. He knew naught of his father’s pureblooded heritage because his mother knew nothing about it. Sure, there was the occasional odd incident that occurred around little Kalan, but they thought little of it. So, the cabinet they’d locked his toys away in had exploded… It couldn’t have been Kalan, he was just a little boy. Everything was explained away, their reasons nice and tidy and not always so rational. However, they always managed to blind themselves to the strange things that happened.
His grandfather died when he was just two, his grandmother died two years later just a few days before Kalan’s fourth birthday. It was tragic, in a way, but Kalan had barely noticed the fact that they were gone. Sure, he’d liked the funny old people who played with him and gave him toys… and sure, he’d called them Nana and Papa, but that didn’t mean he’d had any sort of intense bond with them. He was barely able to grasp the concept of death when his Nana left them. His mother, most of the time, simply referred his grandparents as “gone”.
It wasn’t until his seventh year of life that his mother was “gone”. Melanie died in the intensive care unit at the local hospital following a car accident. Because she had no kin, aside from Kalan, the boy was placed into the emergency foster care system. Within a few weeks, Melanie’s will was read and the information about who the boy’s father had been discovered. Just before Kalan’s eighth birthday, Alexander was unceremoniously given custody of the little boy.
Alexander, who’d barely thought of his little mudblood spawn being out there in the world, was almost shocked to realize he had a son. Sure, he’d been aware that he’d knocked up the muggle girl… He hadn’t, however, ever expected to deal with the repercussions. He intended to give Kalan up for adoption as soon as possible, but during the five days that Kalan had to stay with them…? Alexander found himself becoming oddly attached. That wouldn’t have been enough, had the boy proved to be a muggle/squib, but by the end of the third day he’d already caused Alexander’s wife’s hair to fall out.
Naturally, if the hair hadn’t been magically re-grown in a few hours, the boy would’ve been in loads more trouble. As it was, the problem was easily fixable and Kalan had proved himself magically adept. So, when the day came to send the boy off… Alexander couldn’t let him go. Despite his resentment at the boy’s blood status, he found himself considerably attached. Kalan was his son, after all.
So, Kalan Caine became Kalan Whitney. From the first day his name was changed, Kalan was told to tell people he was a pureblood. To claim Alexander’s wife as his mother. Kalan, after a confusing period of… confusion, caught onto the idea. It was hard, at first, because he didn’t want to forget his mother. He’d loved his mother, fully and undeniably. She’d been much better than the witch that his father was married to. She hadn’t teased him mercilessly for being a ‘mudblood’, whatever that meant. She hadn’t sneered at him and told him off for wanting to play with his toy cars. She hadn’t shown so much as an ounce of contempt for him.
Everything was different once he began living in father’s house. Sure, Alexander cared about him. Alexander adored the boy, most of the time. But Alexander Whitney was rarely around, instead spending most of his time at work. It was Alexander’s wife that Kalan spent most of his time with and the woman despised him. It was this life, this time spent around someone who hated him so much that had hardened Kalan even at a young age. He developed the defensive mechanism of sarcasm by the age of ten. By the time he entered Hogwarts, it was doubtful that one could call him a “naïve” boy. Nor could one consider him a “soft” boy.
Significant Relationships:
Family: Optional:
Friends: Optional:
Other: Optional:
Special Considerations: Such as broom ownership, being an animagus, famous in some form, or a metamorphmagus. All are subject to mod approval, and if you are given special considerations, you are liable to be used for plots at the Plot Mod's command. Nada.
COMMUNITY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS -- ONLY ANSWER THE SECTION APPLICABLE TO YOUR CHARACTER
Hogwarts:
Year: Sixth
House: Slytherin
Why are they in that house? Being born the bastard son of the pureblooded Alexander Whitney, Kalan has always felt the need to prove himself to his father. His father was a Slytherin and Kalan's entire preparation for his first year at Hogwarts had revolved around his desire to be placed in the same house as his father had been. That, and the fact that Kalan is motivated by ambition. Quite a bit of it.
Position: (Subject to mod approval) Not Applicable!
MOD-ONLY QUESTIONS -- THESE WILL ONLY BE KNOWN TO THE MODS, please answer in a COMMENT to your application
Character Secrets: The only two major secrets that Kalan has are (a) the fact that he's bisexual and (b) the fact that he's a halfblood.
Character Alliance: Despite the fact that Kalan acts every bit the part of a mudblood hating purist, he finds himself fully inclined in neither direction when it comes to choosing a side.