To apply, please mail your completed application to coldwarmods@whiterose.org. We will respond to all applications in three days. About you: Name: Karen Alfrey Email address: alfrey@spatzel.net AIM/Gtalk: coldwarginevra Age: 18, twice! Previous experience: House of Cards, Shadows Across Arkham, Lunar Ellipse, Celebrity Time-Out (online); Masks (Cthulhu), Power of Threes (Amber), various D&D and GURPS; Cyberway (GM); various other one-shots and short campaigns; Cold War (Ginny!) About your character: Name: Narcissa Black Malfoy Age and birthdate: 52 (14 November 1955) Other family members: Lucius Malfoy (husband); Draco Malfoy (son); Bellatrix Lestrange (sister); Andromeda Tonks (sister); Drusilla Rosier (cousin); currently carrying a child. Blood status: Pure-blood Schooling: Slytherin, 1967-1974 Occupation: Philanthropist Current residence: Malfoy Manor Relationship status: Devoted wife Description: Fair hair, pale skin, blue eyes, coolly elegant demeanor. Her preferred manner of dress is classic, elegant, and a bit on the conservative side, signifying wealth without being ostentatious. However, Narcissa is keenly aware of how to send a message or manipulate tone through dress and demeanor, and will branch out from her usual style when it suits her to do so. Personality: Narcissa is above all a manipulator. She has a vision for what she wants -- for her family, for Wizarding England, for the world -- and she is willing to commit to the long road to get it, nudging pieces into place as she goes. Her natural sense of humor tends toward the bone-dry and cutting. However, she has learned to be a chameleon in social situations when it suits her ends, and will allow herself to appear to be as strong or as ineffectual as she thinks she needs to be to get what she wants. She is fiercely loyal to those she considers hers. Special Magical Abilities: Occlumency. It probably saved her life during the war. Politics: An early supporter of Voldemort, she believes in the supremacy of the wizarding race and of pureblooded wizarding culture in particular. She does not seek power for its own sake, and disdains those who do: thus, by the end of the last war she despised Voldemort -- his misuse of Draco was a result, rather than a cause, of her break with his cause -- and she loathes Umbridge for the ill-bred little toad she is. She WILL see Lucius as Minister of Magic. (In many ways she is Hilary to his Bill, if you see what I mean.) Role in the war: A loyal Voldemort supporter until his true goals became evident, she spent the latter part of the war trying to protect her family and keep herself alive. History (emphasis on the period after 1997): She and Lucius agreed after the war that he would serve his time in Azkaban like a good little repentant Death-Eater, and she would play the tragic mourning mother/devoted wife card; and Narcissa is a very good card-player. She managed several years of house arrest, during which she was allowed the occasional (influential, easily swayed) visitor; and she began spinning the tale of the Malfoys' fall and repentance. By the time Lucius finished the first draft of his manuscript, she was ready to edit in the threads that would weave his tale into hers. Since then she has been a frequent but not ubiquitous presence in the social scene of Wizarding London -- always just enough to keep the Malfoys in the minds of the sympathetic public, but not so much as to seem like crass attention-hounds. She took Draco's "death" very hard. Though she is delighted at his return, a part of her is still furious with him for not contacting him these last nine years. Her relationship with and attitude toward Bellatrix is complex. She loves, pities, and fears her sister. Getting too close could jeapordize much of what she has worked for; but she is not ready to write Bella off entirely. Besides, an insane but loyal witch could prove useful at some point. Her pregnancy has been harder on her than she has let on to anyone, although she knows Lucius suspects; he's been gracious enough not to draw attention to it, the dear. Having another child was an ideological rather than an emotional choice. But she knows she will grow to love it eventually. One-sentence summary of your character: Narcissa is a manipulator who WILL nudge her family and her country down the paths that are good for them, whether they like it or not. Writing samples: Sample Journal Entry: We've been discussing names again. I've grown somewhat fond of "Scorpius", which fits in sound with Lucius's name and in derivation with Draco's. It does not lend itself to nicknames, but that may be just as well: some nicknames can be quite undignified, particularly for a boy. Its main drawback is that it does not roll of the tongue quite as naturally as one might hope, which might prove problematic when the boy considers his political career. Then there's "Leo", which... perhaps it would be seen as "reaching across the aisle" to our Gryffindor compatriots, but honestly I think Lucius is doing quite enough of that already. And I'm unwilling to tempt fate like that. "Ares", on the other hand, would perhaps be seen as sending just the opposite message. It is a good strong name, and a play on a constellation rather than being a constellation itself, but in these times it might be a bit too forceful. "Rigel"? It does flow, but it feels a bit... soft, perhaps. Not that a strong name seems to have protected Draco. Still, it's a possibility. http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/sowlist.html Canopus Rigel Corvus Scorpio (Scorpius) Ares Eltanin (star in Draco) Leo Orion Sample Roleplay: (Third person, past tense. Minimum of 200 words.) Narcissa sat at her dressing-table, brushing her hair. One hundred strokes: the motion was automatic, she didn't even need to count anymore. She brushed; twisted; pinned; and let her mind wander. Only when she finished did she look into the mirror, at the fair shining halo of hair framing a face pale with strain. She set down her brush and picked up her wand, touched it to her bottom lip, whispered a word, and watched, gratified, as the colour spread out from the wand-tip and into her lips and cheeks. Glamour charms had always been a specialty of hers; she'd rarely been so glad of it. "Ready, darling?" Lucius's cool voice preceded him from his dressing-chamber as he entered the room. Narcissa smiled. "Very nearly." She stood carefully, achieving a slow grace despite the ridiculous proportions of her heavily-pregnant form. "I thought we agreed we would not dazzle them out of their senses with our overpowering radiance?" Lucius observed with the faintest hint of a smile as he admired her. She'd carefully selected her classic Grecian-style gown, the colour of honey and spring roses, to lend her an air not simply of impending motherhood, but of the very essence of radiant fecundity. "Ah, but we also agreed that our aim is to make a favourable and lasting impression," Narcissa countered, admiring in turn her husband in his exquisitely-cut black dress-robes. She had always known his true potential, even when others scoffed that she was marrying beneath her, that Lucius Malfoy was little more than a pretty face -- as though a pretty face, put to the right use, weren't a priceless commodity in its own right. And with gentle guidance, he'd turned out to be much, much more. She did so love being right. "Do remember," she added, "that that McDermott woman may be an old bat, but she is rising in influence on the Wizengamot. So we mustn't nettle her too terribly, no matter how tempting it might be." It would not, she thought, be the most spectacular dinner party they'd ever attended. But there would be a number of influential, if deadly-dull, people there -- and it would be nice to get out of the house for a few hours. She'd had so little opportunity of late. She carefully lifted a necklace from its case and held it out to Lucius, who dutifully took it and stood behind her to fasten the clasp. When he was done he laid a hand on her shoulder and turned her slowly toward him. She gave him a faint smile; she knew at this close distance, knowing her as well as he did, he would surely see how tired she was. He brushed her cheekbone lightly with the backs of his fingers. "Perhaps, then, we should grace them _sparingly_ with our presence, and leave them wanting more...?" He took her hand and kissed it, then offered her his arm. She looped her arm gracefully through his. "Clever man," she said approvingly, and gave him a smile that lit up her eyes. "I daresay you'll go far. Shall we?" The Malfoys departed to wreak cool glamour on London.