InsaneJournal

HEIGHT: 5'5"
WEIGHT: 125 lbs., made mostly of muscle.
HAIR: Dark Brown.
EYES: Blue.
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Ariel is average in both height and weight, but her build belies her strength. Her weight tends to fluctuate between season and off-season, with her going down in weight as her muscles become less dense. She has a slim waist, with a body that is more straight than hour-glass -- though she was graced with at least some bust, no matter how small it may be. When she's fit for Quidditch season, her body gets some curves - her waist nipping in a bit - caused by her muscles, mostly, but otherwise she looks like two grapefruits stapled onto a two-by-four. It's undeniable that Ari is attractive. In fact, more people comment on her looks than her talent. She has big, full lips and Aright blue eyes. Ari also has long, dark brown hair that falls below her shoulders. It's naturally a bit wavy, but she often straightens or curls it.

Though the hubub about her appearance might annoy some, she really does care about it and plays into the hype. She's often seen on the beach tanning, and almost always goes out in makeup even if she doesn't need it -- mostly out of an need to look put together at all times. Clothing wise, Ari dresses for attention and comfort simultaneously. She likes short, tight dresses just as much as she enjoys jeans and a tank top. Mostly, she likes the dirty-glam look: stompy boots mixed with tight dresses, or with shorts and a tank top. She is very rarely ever seen in heels and likes going barefoot most of all. Her clothing is chosen either for maximum attention (tight, Aright colors) or ease of removal (over-sized sweaters and pants or skirts).

Ari's body language really depends on her mood -- and that changes so often. Some days she goes out looking for attention, and then she seems to embrace the world. But most of the time, she doesn't want to be bothered with people. Despite dressing rather feminine, her mannerisms are incredibly masculine, probably from having few female role models in her life. She's not afraid to make vulgar gestures, stomp and shout. As for specific mannerisms, Ari has many -- she's known to do a combination fist-pump/high five after major plays, and when she's strapped for a thought she presses her tongue up against her front teeth.


PB: Megan Fox

PERSONALITY

Ariel tends to operate in extremes. Her personality can go from sweet to sour, gentle to violent with almost no time in between. She is frustratingly hard to pin down and often unpredictable. She's got a bundle of restless energy and a fearless spirit, coupled with the need for incessant attention that makes her either the best friend you could ask for or the worst enemy.

From the day she was born, Ari was set up to have an inferiority complex. Her father's only parenting was to tell her what standards of beauty she had to meet, and what she had to change about her body to meet them. So, it's not surprising that she's grown up with extreme body issues. Though she puts on a brave face, she's extremely insecure when it comes to her looks. It doesn't matter how many people tell her she's beautiful, she'll always believe she could look better.

Due, possibly, to a childhood trauma, Ari isn't the smartest person in the world. She often takes a while to get concepts, and it's something she's incredibly embarrassed about. Unfortunately, her natural reaction to being confused, or to feeling like she's made fun of, is to lash out in violence. She may not have the sharpest tongue, but she's not afraid to hit anyone, male or female. Her violent tendencies come from a life of being starved for attention and only knowing how to vent her feelings by hitting things. And she's not wont to stop now. Her violent spurts come not with tears or any signs of emotion, but with an almost cold, calculated and sadistic nature. She hurts people just to feel good - and it gives her a buzz that nothing else can. She doesn't care if the ones she hurts are more vulnerable than her, either. It's all about coming out on top, which she often does.


Ariel is also a bit manipulative. She is not all vitrol and violence. She learned in school that her looks and pureblood status afford her certain rights that others don't have. She will try to use her body to get what she wants, but if that doesn't work she resorts to taking it. That's probably what made her a Slytherin more than anything - as she wasn't very determined to do school work. But when she is determined to do something, she does it well. It's probably why she excells at Quidditch so much. Slamming into a bludger is cathartic for Ariel. It lets her be purposefully violent - and get paid! What better job for her? On the pitch, she is a cold and calculated killer. She's not against underhanded tricks and toeing the very edge of the rules to win.

Probably because of the turmoil in her youth coupled with her tendency for having a dramatic life, Ariel is very clean. In fact, she had her entire flat painted white, with almost all white furnishings, because it helped her to better see dirt. At the same time, having a completely pristine place gives her peace - she can't leave things unclean and clutter drives her absolutely mad. One might not say she's OCD, but she certainly has issues when it comes to having things in their place. She's even prone to cleaning the places of those closest to her, usually without even thinking about it. And being stuck in mess or clutter? Well, she's not above blowing things up to make pathways for herself.

But Ariel has her good sides, too. She is a good friend to the (very) few people she adores. She's very open about her feelings and you always know where you stand with her - wearing her emotions on her sleeve, if you will. This can also get her into trouble, though, as she's known to shift moods so quickly and boy will she let you know. But, she is honest -- not afraid to tell people exactly what she thinks. This is probably why people hesitate to put her in front of a microphone. To those she likes, she can be a fun, entertaining friend. She's always encouraging them to go for what they want, and willing to kill for them. But she's loyal to only a few - the rest of the world can fuck off as far as she's concerned. She'll stomp on others to help her friends, or herself. But betray her, and you've made an enemy. Ari keeps a small circle of close friends because she is insecure about being left out, or overlooked. She'd rather be the center of attention to her friends than vying for attention in a larger circle.

It's pretty clear that Ariel is rather vain. She prides herself on her good looks, and she doesn't feel cheapened when she's referred to because of them. She's got a reputation for incredibly open sexually, but it's all a big farce. Her dad once pushed her into relationships with several men, hoping to marry her off, but Ari has realized more and more that she simply isn't attracted to them. She's unsure if it's the men she's around, or if it's any men. She's actually had only a handful of sexual partners, and it was mostly all about her (let's face it, she's pretty selfish in bed). Instead, she gives the appearance of being loose, hopping onto men's arms at a moments notice -- but she rarely lets it go farther than a date to a major event. Still, she doesn't deny all the talk about her relationships with men, in fact, she encourages it. That's because although she hasn't admitted it, she finds herself more interested in the idea of being with women. Being in a partnership with another female beater has only exacerbated the situation, and though she has yet to realize it she has a small crush on her teammate. However, the thought is terrifying and immediately pushed to the deep recesses of her mind. She knows that if she does admit it, she's likely to be disowned by her family.

ATTITUDES

TO THEIR TEAM

Ariel has an unyielding loyalty to her team, even if she has her own issues with them as individuals. She expects the same dedication from them as she gives, and she's known to pitch a HUGE fit in the locker room when things aren't going their way. Though no one will ever make her captain, she often acts like she is, telling players when to get their shit together. She's outrageously honest, but at the same time unable to take what she doles out. It can definitely lead to clashing when she goes off the deepend and refuses to hear what others are saying to her.

Still, Ari is the most encouraging teammate, in her own way. She doesn't have a lot of interests outside Quidditch and is highly dedicated, willing to spend hours with others playing in order for them to practice. She may often be "cruel to be kind" so to speak, but she comes from a good place, even if she's a complete asshole in the way she comes across. Though not everyone gets along with her -- she's known to have had HUGE blowouts with teammatess in the past -- she is usually able to put the team before her own individual feelings. One area that can set her off, though, is when other teammates get far more attention than her, be it from fans, the media or the coach/staff. She doesn't like feeling left out, and her jealousy spikes like woah, leading to pouty and diva-ish behavior.

TO THE MEDIA

Much of her publicist's time is spent trying to keep Ariel from getting in front of a microphone or reporter(s). She's brutally honest, and has been known to (in fits of rage from losing) rag on everything from her own playing to her teammate's playing to the league, the refs and the owners. If they catch her at the right moment, it's hard for her to keep a lid on (okay, she doesn't really bother to try). Because of this, reporters love her and often try to lead her to say something in order to write a good, sensationalist headline. She's under strict orders to avoid the media in uncontrolled environments (anywhere where her publicist can't be there to dig her nails into Ari's arm and stop her from talking), but sometimes she's caught off-guard and just says something monumental. Overall, Ari loves the media spotlight -- the good and the bad. She's afraid if people stop talking about her she'll fall out of that spotlight and be forgotten. Still, it creates a complicated relationship with her team and her handlers.

TO THEIR FANS

In theory, Ariel loves her fans. In actuality, she just loves having fans. She loves standing behind a barricade, waving to them and signing autographs or posing for photos.She has her moods when she wants to be with fans, and then she's very friendly, puts up with their bullshit requests to fake-kiss them or whatever they want. Most of the time she's happy, smiley Ari. But the girl needs her space, and she's been known to go ballistic on fans who invade that space, touch her or otherwise annoy her. Because of this, her handlers have encouraged her to try to keep fan interaction to controlled and publicized events -- like before games, charity galas, appearances etc. Otherwise, she's encouraged to dress down and avoid too much interaction, unless she's feeling really good.

HISTORY

CHILDHOOD
Ariel Runcorn was born to two Pureblooded parents who were victims of arranged marriages. Luckily, Albert and Edna got along alright, and had been friendly in Hogwarts. In time, they grew to love eachother and the arrangement was considered a success by both families. Albert was a ruthless, driven Hitwizard with the DMLE, while Edna - in true Pureblood fashion - stayed home. Neither were particularly involved in politics, and as the first wizarding war heated up, they remained unaligned.

Within a year of their marriage, Edna was pregnant and soon Hale was born. The Runcorn family was more than satisfied with having a son, but not long after she was pregnant again. Ariel was born less than a year before the fall of Lord Voldemort. When she was seven months old, the Death Eaters - looking to rouse more support for their lord - visited the Runcorn household. Though Albert told them that he didn't want to get involved, they persisted. And one fateful night, Ariel was plucked from her crib and dangled in front of Edna and Albert to gain their compliance. Though Albert wasn't the warmest person, he was mortified. Edna couldn't stand the idea of losing her daughter and threw herself at the Death Eaters, asking for them to spare their daughter. But in her quick movement, she spooked the Death Eaters (some who were only doing this because they were forced to) and was hit with the killing curse. She fell to the ground dead, and the Death Eaters dropped Ariel at her feet (which may have caused a bit of head injury, it's not known).

Though Albert didn't show it, he was devastated. Edna was dead, and he was left with two children. He knew that not working with the Death Eaters meant losing them too, so he complied and helped Voldemort's continued rise to power. On that fateful day when the Dark Lord disappeared, Albert escaped Azkaban much like everyone else did - by telling the Ministry how his wife had been murdered in cold blood right before his own eyes, and how he had to comply. Though it kept him out of Azkaban, he continued (in those secret circles that still congregated now and then) to maintain the appearance of loyalty to those who had supported Voldemort in fear of their retribution if he did not.

Meanwhile, Ariel and Hale were raised by a slew of nannies- only seeing their father when it came time for discipline. He grew more and more bitter, and often took it out on his children. Being a single dad wasn't easy at all, but rather than embrace it, he simply saw his children as a burden. In fact, the few times Ariel remembers her father from when she was young, it was memories of him screaming. She lived in terror of coming across her father randomly. It was only when out and about that he put on a facade of loving his children. He'd take them to gala events and win sympathy points. She loved those days, even if they weren't real. She'd get dressed up in a new, sparkly gown and he'd even dance with her. It was those memories that she'd hold onto and wish for each night. But those good days were fleeting.

As she grew older, Ariel learned that the only kind of attention she was guaranteed to get from her father was negative attention. He would critique her appearance, her demeanor, her clothes -- anything. But it was attention, and oh how she craved it. That spiraled into all sorts of rebellion. You could say it shaped her penchant for violence as well as her wild, uncaring and reckless ways. It was the only way she knew how to get attention. She would torture their house elves mercilessly, set their nanny's dresses on fire - anything to get some time alone with her father. Of course, she didn't know what she was doing at the time, she thought she was hurting him.

HOGWARTS

When her letter for Hogwarts came, it was a relief to everyone in her house. Ariel was unsurprisingly sorted into Slytherin -- not because of her cunning or smarts, but because she would scream and holler until things went her way. The hat could see her drive, even if she wasn't the most well-equipped intellectually. Ariel wasn't the Arightest student. She didn't really care for her studies at all, and it was only through the graces of her professors and manipulation of her classmates that she managed not to fail out. But she learned that a smile and maybe a snog could get her help on her coursework. Otherwise, she'd never have been allowed to stay.

One thing she did focus on was Quidditch. Though she played reserve most of the time - something she thinks was due to bullshit misogyny - she was a great beater and helped the team out tremendously when she got to play. It was the one place she truly shined, and probably the only reason she bothered to stay in school. Otherwise, she was resigned to being a Pureblood trophy wife, arranged to marry whoever her father saw fit. Ariel was also a bit of a bully in school. When she couldn't get what she wanted by asking, she'd take it at any cost. She was prone to attacks of violence and cruelty. Acts of violence helped her release frustration - probably why she makes such a good beater.

PROFESSIONAL LIFE

After graduation, Ariel went against her father's wishes and joined the Holyhead Harpies as a reserve beater. The recruiters had seen something in the feisty girl, and put her on the team. Though Albert raised hell, there was little he could do about it. Her signing bonus contained a hefty amount of galleons, and she moved out to her own flat. Initially, her father threatened to disown her and for many years they did not speak.

After only two seasons playing reserve, Ariel got her moment in the spotlight when the starting beater received an injury and was out for several games. It was like Ari had been saving all her energy for one match, and she blew the competition out of the water with her outright rage -- screaming a shrill shriek with every hit. The performance and sheer absurdity of her rage made her a national name, and the WWN replayed the footage over and over again. Eventually she was moved up to a starting position when she was 20. The change went to Ari's head, and it seemed like in every interview she had she was ragging on her team's management for not utilizing her talent sooner. Though Ari was a great beater, her pride and jealousy over the attention her other teammates got led to heated arguments, her diving off the field on more than one occasion and refusing to return, and lots of negative press. She played out her contract for two seasons, and was not asked to re-sign with the Harpies in a very public display.

Ari's ego was absolutely crushed by this blow and she blamed everyone under the sun but herself. The thought of losing her career absolutely crushed her, and it was then that Ari went in search of some help. She signed with Ashanti DiSilva and [PUBLICIST] in an attempt to clean up her image. For the next two seasons, Ari was "downgraded" (she felt) to the Canons, but played as if they were the best team in the world. She was probably the only good player at the time, but it wasn't enough to help them to win. But in those two seasons she learned a bit of humility -- it wasn't fun to lose every game, but she learned to take it in stride (at least publicly). After her contract was up, she got an offer from the Appleby Arrows. It was an upgrade! Though she had a bit of guilt abandoning the Canons, she eagerly took the position. Ari played with the Arrows for one season before there was a very controversial and public trade made -- the Magpies wanted her.

Someone was either stupid enough or inspired enough to put Ari on, first as reserve beater for a season and then starter. Though she would be put on the bench, Ari knew her career was much better off on the winningest team of all time than on a mediocre one. Of course there were threats to kick her off if her behavior caused too much bad publicity, but that hasn't stopped her too much. Ariel mostly saves her outrage for locations with no cameras or reporters. Still, the team management has let a bit of controversy slip, as it seems to boost her popularity now and then.


RELATIONSHIPS

Due partly to her insecurities, and partly to her stubborn ways, Ariel has typically been a wreck in relationships - be it professional, sexual or friendships. She is overly critical of everyone she meets, mostly to make herself feel better about whatever shortcomings she has. Topped off with a "hurt them before they hurt me" mentality, she's had a hard time keeping friends. When it comes to close, intimate relationships, that's a no-go. Ariel has never been in love with anyone but herself, and any relationship she tries to form just crumbles at her feet. This both motivates and terrifies her. If she doesn't have someone, what will happen when her looks fade?


SCOUT AVERY & ROWAN MULCIBER

Growing up in the Pureblood society and being of similar age, the three girls were often tossed together at the whim of their parents. However, if their parents might have known how it would turn out, they likely would have kept the girls far far away from each other. Though they had their spats growing up, the three found a kinship made up of foul moods, bad attitudes and bucking rules. When the girls went to Hogwarts, their tacit bond (made over smashing little tea pots and throwing scones) grew stronger as they were forced into a sea of new faces. They were like a pile of ants clinging onto eachother to brave the water. And throughout school, their bond only grew stronger. Of course, each was fighting her own battle and at times it tested their friendship, but the two girls are probably the people she trusts most in the world. That said, Ari has always felt differently about Scout in a way she can't explain. If she wasn't in denial about her feelings for women, she'd recognize it as a bit of a schoolgirl crush. She distinctly ignores these feelings, but if people bothered to pay enough attention they might see she has a soft spot for the girl (though, really, she has a soft spot for both and extends both courtesies she would never extend to anyone else).

ASHANTI DISILVA

In a desperate move, Ariel hired agent Ashanti DiSilva and she's pretty sure it saved her career. Ashanti is very much the ying to Ari's yang - though she's much more collected, she somehow has been able to get to Ari and keep her from burning her career to the ground. Their relationship has grown over the years, and she regards Ashanti as a friend as much as she does an agent. Of course, that can sometimes put them in odd waters when it comes to toeing the line between friends and professional, but their professional relationship has only done as well as it has because Ashanti gained Ari's trust.

FAMILY

Father: Albert Runcorn | 50 | Improper Use of Magic investigator

When she got national recognition, Albert coincidentally reached out to her. Though he never admitted he had been wrong for being so mad, he seemed proud in his own way. Ariel absolutely ate up the attention her father gave her, and forgave him as if he'd never treated her badly. Though they aren't super close, she likes to pretend he isn't using her just for fame and fortune to the point of delusion -- even agreeing to maybe enter in an arranged marriage. Still, she teeters between being embraced by her father and causing him a lot of embarrassment, probably why he hasn't been able to marry her off yet.

Brother: Hale Runcorn | 28 | ?

TBD

SAMPLE

[Warded Private]
I keep fucking thinking thinking thinking. Overthinking. Can't hit when I think. Thoughts in the way of arm. Restless... fucking wankers giving me too much time to think and not enough to do. Have to do something... something different. Hit more bludgers, maybe Scout wants to practice dod..uhh..ducking bludgers. Too much energy.
[End Ward]

There's no doubt that the Magpies are going to take the season yet again. If today's match proved anything, it's that all of you men that call yourselves Quidditch players couldn't score with these ladies no matter how hard you try --- but I'm sure you're used to that on and off the pitch, yeah?

Maybe Scout and I should give you a break next time.

OOC

How often does your character find themselves embroiled in scandal?

Ariel is no stranger to scandal, though it tends to be because of her mouth more than anything. She enjoys the limelight, the good and the bad, and isn't at all afraid to be on the front page of rags.

Given that Quidditch is a dangerous sport, how do you feel about the potential for your character to suffer a major injury during a game?

As long as it's run by me before it happens, I'd be down for anything -- even a career ending injury! That could actually be a fun plot, as Ari has nothing else really. I just want to be sure it doesn't happen at a time that will mess up future plots.

Would you like to be added to the QPQ blast chat?

Sure! I may not always be there, but I won't mind being invited as long as no one minds if I don't always come in!

Slytherin Aries is a bundle of contradictions. In some ways, they have the potential to be the strongest of their House - the intensity, drive, and Arilliant visionary dreams of the Aries combined with the innate leadership skills, the charisma, and the profound sense of self (including the eccentric lack of interest in conforming to what other people think) is stuff of which great magical legends are made. However, a Slytherin Aries has much to learn about politics, knowing who is an appropriate object of trust and who is not trustworthy, knowing when to keep one's mouth shut, and knowing when to avoid acting on impulse in order to use a situation to its best advantage. Although they hate to admit it, these Slytherins are easily manipulated by more cynical, shrewd peers in the Serpent's Den. If they can learn to manage their blind spots, they will go far. Slytherin Aries types can be quite cruel, especially if they have enough physical prowess to bully smaller students; those that are not cruel can still be thoughtless and brutally tactless without actually meaning to cause damage.

hallow