Written 2003, © Erica 2005
Profile for Corbantis Academy - Board (RPG is now dead)
Basic Info
Ezboard Name: Lady Alastrina
Email Address: [email protected]
IM Screen Names: MSN: [email protected]
Name you want us to refer to you as: Erica
Character Info
Name: Lynette Faith O'Connell
Year: 11th
Place of Birth: Austin, Texas, USA
Place Where She Grew Up: Austin, Texas & Conwy, Wales
Financial Situation: Middle class
Physical
Age: 16
Birthday: April 30, 1980
Ethnicity: European Caucasian
Blood Line: Muggle-born, well, her parents both were...
Description of Physical Appearance: At 5' 5" and 125 lbs, Lynette is about normal sized for her age and is built rather slight and willowy. Her eyes are a cool grey, "like the sea on a stormy day" her father once stated. When Lynette was born her hair was a light auburn, but it soon turned to the medium brown it is today. Straight and somewhat limp, her hair falls to about the middle of her back. Lynette usually wears it in a pony-tail to give it some volume or curls it a bit when she has the time. Her face is oval-shaped with a semi-clear light complexion. Lynette is diligent in keeping her face clean as she's somewhat prone to acne. Lynette also carries a number of scars. There's a three-inch long scar on her upper right arm, a six inch long scar on the back of her left leg and a two inch scar between her shoulder blades, all from when she fell into a well as a child. Despite this, for the most part, Lynette isn't someone most people would give a second look, and she likes it like that. Lynette prefers to dress sensible and simple, but when she needs to be fancy or formal, she can pull it off. And no matter what, Lynette always has a few items with her, namely her wand, some parchment, quill and ink, her inhaler, and a Cross of Bridhe necklace her mother gave her. The pendant itself isn't magical, though it is said the Cross of Bridhe design invokes the protection of the Celtic goddess Bridhe.
Emotional
Parents and Siblings Names and Ages:
Parents: Dustin Elessar Merchant (45); Ariel Kathrine Cooper (44)
Sibling(s): None
Family History: Dustin was born to Darrick Merchant and Kassidy Logan in a small town just outside of Holyhead Wales. Darrick was raised on a farm in the surrounding area and Kassidy's family ran the general story in town. The two had met at high school and had dated a little here and there but had more of a close friend relationship than a romantic one. Darrick and Kassidy didn't really hit it off until Darrick rather gallantly defended Kassidy from some drunk men that were trying to rob her family's store a few years later. The two started going out a little more seriously than before and about two years later got married. They had three children Donovan, Darelle, and Dustin. As the youngest, Dustin never thought he was anything special until he got an odd letter when he was eleven stating that he was a wizard. He was a muggle-born wizard. Suddenly all of the very strange things that had happened during his childhood made sense. The neighbor's vicious dog turning to stone, the corn popping itself one cool summer day, his jumping up into the loft of the barn when his brothers chased him, among other things. So Dustin went off to wizarding school. In his seventh year he was part of an exchange student program with a school in America, and there he met Ariel.
Ariel was born to Lennon Cooper and Meredith Vaughn in Arlington, Texas just west of Dallas. Lennon was the only son of a cattle rancher and Meredith was the daughter of the owner of a big oil company. The two met when Lennon went to visit his cousin, Christine, in Dallas. Meredith was his cousin's best friend. The two didn't really hit it off, due to their backgrounds (oilers taking up good grazing land, cattlers taking up potential drilling sites, etc) but they managed to work around their differences. But when Lennon went to ask Meredith's father if he could marry her, he hit a rock. Her father said Lennon could marry Lennon if he sold his ranch, since it was sitting on a nice deposit of oil that Meredith's father wanted. Lennon refused, and he and Meredith eloped. Her father didn't speak to her for a few years, but eventually warmed up to his nervy son-in-law. Lennon and Meredith had three children, Bryce, Michael, and Ariel. Ariel was her father's pride and joy. Lennon adored his only daughter as she adored him, despite the sometimes odd things that would happened around her. Like the cat dancing on its hind legs, her toy dolls walking across the floor, Ariel herself dancing on the top of the stables (that one nearly gave him a heart attack), among other things. But then an explanation came the year she turned eleven; a letter that informed Ariel that she was a witch. She was a muggle-born witch. So Ariel went off to wizarding school in California. And there she met Dustin.
Dustin and Ariel were placed in the same house. The house for the outgoing daredevil types (sort of like Gryffindor). They were not in the same year. In fact, Dustin was a year ahead of Ariel. But they forged a friendship that later turned to love. After graduating, Dustin went to work as an herbologist and Ariel went to a hybrid-school (a college that admitted both wizarding and muggle) to become a medi-witch. During that time, Dustin and Ariel started dating, and when Ariel got her certificate as a medi-witch, they got married. The couple bought a small farm in Texas, just outside of Austin. However, this marriage wasn't all roses. There was one problem, a medical problem. Shortly after Ariel's first pregnancy, about two years after their marriage and the one Lynette was the product of, the doctors discovered a problem with Ariel's uterus, a problem that even magic couldn't fix, a benign tumor on the upper portion of the uterus. Luckily the tumor hadn't affected the baby, and Lynette was fine. But the tumor had the potential to turn malignant and start spreading, so to prevent it from metastasizing to her other organs Ariel had to have a hysterectomy. Ariel couldn't have anymore children.
For a while, Ariel was completely devastated. For several months she simply didn't function except to care for the baby. Dustin finally managed to help Ariel realize that not being able to have children wasn't the end of the world and that he loved her no matter what. So Dustin and Ariel poured all their love into Lynette. But their little angel was a bit accident prone and tended to get herself in a lot of trouble. When she was five she fell into the stream and almost drowned. When she was six she fell down an old well. When she was seven she got lost in the woods and stumbled into a bat cave. After the first accident when Lynette was five, Ariel had bought a locator clock (like the Weasley clock) and also a necklace that had a long term tracking charm on it. Lynette was forbidden to take the necklace off, for anything. After some consideration, Dustin and Ariel decided to move to Wales to raise Lynette in a hopefully less harmful environment. And so, when Lynette was eight, they moved to Conwy, Wales.
But the damage had been done. Several of the accidents that had happened to Lynette had remained with her as fears. Because of the stream and a few other almost drowning incidents, she was terrified of bodies of water. Because of the old well, she was terrified of small dark spaces. Because of the bat cave, she hated bats. Lynette has tried to overcome each of her fears, but can't seem to shake them. But besides this, Lynette also has asthma. Probably her greatest fear is having a major attack without her inhaler.
Ariel first noticed that Lynette had a breathing problem when her daughter started wheezing after running a short distance. Lynette was nine. At first, Ariel brushed it off because of the running. But then other things started sticking out to her. Like how Lynette would wheeze when she dusted the house. And how in allergy season she not only had a constant cold, but also complained on being short of breath. But when Lynette suddenly collapsed after running down the dirt road in front of her best friend's house. Ariel took Lynette to see the family healer. Along with a few other conditions, asthma isn't treatable magically. So Lynette was prescribed two inhalers (a fast acting and slow acting) and cautioned about sports and large quantities of dust. For the most part, Lynette only has one or two major attacks per year, generally during winter or pollen season, or when she's extremely frightened. She has occasional small attacks if she runs too hard or opens a really dusty book, but those are easily taken care of with her fast acting inhaler.
Lynette began attending a small wizarding school in Wales when she was eleven. The school was very selective and only invited 100 students each year. And while Lynette wasn't the brightest of the students, she did very well at the school, and became a prefect her fifth year. However, at the end of her fifth year, the school's patron died and the school lost all of its funding. So Lynette's parents were forced to find another establishment for their daughter to study at. With all the hype that had begun about the return of You-Know-Who, Dustin and Ariel decided to send Lynette to a school in America. After contacting some of their old friends, and talking it over with Lynette, they decided that Corbantis would be the best place to send their daughter.
Phobias/Fears: Having an attack without her inhaler, loosing her parents, large bodies of water (like the lake), small dark spaces, bats. Most of these fears stem from the accidents she had as a child.
Hobbies/Interests: Lynette has an extensive Chocolate Frog card collection, which she is still adding too. A few of the more rare cards still elude her. Lynette is also an avid reader and deeply enjoys history books and fantasy books. And while she doesn’t place quidditch, Lynette loves flying. She just feels she’s too accident prone to play the wizarding sport without getting hurt every single game. Lynette also has a tentative hobby of singing. She doesn’t think she’s very good at it, though she’s actually quite decent. Lynette is still deciding whether to be an herbologist like her father, a medi-witch like her mother, or maybe even something else, like an Auror…
Good/Bad Habits: Whenever Lynette wears her hair down, she can usually be seen twirling her hair with a finger while taking notes, a habit some people find very annoying. Lynette also bites her nails, which she’s trying to stop as she knows it makes her hands look disproportionate. Lynette can also be seen playing with her necklace when she’s thinking, usually when she’s thinking of home.
Strengths/Weaknesses: Lynette's loyalty and honesty are probably her greatest strengths, along with her determination. Once she starts something, she’s going to finish it. Lynette's honesty can be a bit of a problem sometimes. While she does try to be tactful in how she words the sometimes blunt things she finds she has to say, sometimes her message comes across as a bit harsh. And some people have gotten irritated with her because of this. Also, Lynette does crack under extreme amounts of stress. She tends to get a little hysterical at finals. And when she’s faced with one of her fears, Lynette tends to come completely unglued.
Cognitive
Attitude Toward School and School Work: Dustin and Ariel were careful to teach their daughter to value hard work, dedication, knowledge and fairness. This is mostly due them living on a farm. Lynette may not make top grades, but she puts as much effort into her school work as possible.
How Does She Do in Classes: Lynette doesn't make top grades, but she does well enough. She has the potential and determination to meet just about any goal she sets for herself.
Social
Personality: Lynette is extremely loyal, to her friends and to her family. Lynette will stand up for those she’s loyal to, even if she’s alone in her stance. Lynette's determination is usually what keeps her from giving up. Once Lynette starts something, she doesn’t stop until she has finished it. Lynette's not afraid to dig in to her elbows and get a little dirty. Good honest hard work is its own reward was something her father always told her.
Patient almost to a fault, Lynette can hold her tongue and temper longer than most people. She does have a breaking point but little results from it as her temper is quite mild. A good shout and a possible slap is all anyone can get out of her. Lynette is also a very honest person. She is extremely straight forward and will tell you exactly what she thinks, though as tactfully as possible. Lynette does not like confrontations and tries to avoid them at all costs. This is mainly because Lynette doesn’t always do well under stress. The stress of a project or paper she can handle, as it’s only short term and for a reasonable small thing in the whole big picture. But something as big as finals or the OWLs can completely unhinge her. While she can normally keep a pretty level head, things that could potentially affect the rest of her life, like the OWLs, can increase the level of stress she’s feeling.
Past Relationships: None, Lynette’s always been a bit too occupied with her school work to really consider being in any sort of relationship, though a few guys in her house have asked her out.
Familiar: Lynette's familiar is her calico cat, Sakhmet.
Other: Wand: Black elder shaft with Hawthorn grip, Unicorn tail hair, 11 1/2 inches